The Dodgers crushed what was left of the Giants, which obviously was not much, in the final game of the 2018 regular season. Folks, there is truly NOTHING TO SEE HERE!
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The Giants finish the season tied for the 9'th worst record in MLB after an epic September collapse. Due to Tiebreakers and a compensatory 9'th pick to the Braves, the Giants will draft #10 which is a protected pick in case they have designs on signing a FA with a QO.
As for the Dodgers, they will finish the season tied with the Rockies for first place in the NL West. Those two teams now play a 1 game playoff to determine which has to play a 1 game Wild Card showdown and we will definitely be rooting for the Rockies in this one!
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Thanks to those readers and commenters who hung around to the bitter end. I may take a day or two to rest up but stay tuned for offseason coverage and commentary starting very soon.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Game Wrap 9/29/2019: Dodgers 10 Giants 6
The Giants had one of their better offensive games ever against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, but the pitching did not take advantage. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .229. A strong finish to the season for Hunter Pence. Can't say I would mind seeing the Giants re-sign him to a low base salary with incentives for next season.
Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 3, SF. BA= .254. Panik has had just 1 XBH in September just 19 out of 90 hits on the season. Giants have to figure out how his gap power can rebound or an upgrade at 2B is in order.
Gregor Blanco LF/CF- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .220. Overall, not a good season for Blanco. Giants need an upgrade on his roster spot.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.81. A bit of a letdown in his final start of a terrific rookie season, but must have been a thrill to go up against Clayton Kershaw.
Ty Blach LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.25. Blach is actually pretty good in 1-3 inning stints, although he allowed 2 inherited runners score on a Clayton Kershaw single. Giants need to keep him around as long man out of the pen next season.
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The Dodgers clinched a playoff berth and will be tied with the Rockies for first place in the NL West going into tomorrow. The Giants remain tied with Toronto for 9'th place in the Tank Derby. I guess the Giants have the tiebreaker since they had the worse record last year.
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Andrew Suarez faces TBD in the season finale tomorrow afternoon.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .229. A strong finish to the season for Hunter Pence. Can't say I would mind seeing the Giants re-sign him to a low base salary with incentives for next season.
Joe Panik 2B- 1 for 3, SF. BA= .254. Panik has had just 1 XBH in September just 19 out of 90 hits on the season. Giants have to figure out how his gap power can rebound or an upgrade at 2B is in order.
Gregor Blanco LF/CF- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .220. Overall, not a good season for Blanco. Giants need an upgrade on his roster spot.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.81. A bit of a letdown in his final start of a terrific rookie season, but must have been a thrill to go up against Clayton Kershaw.
Ty Blach LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.25. Blach is actually pretty good in 1-3 inning stints, although he allowed 2 inherited runners score on a Clayton Kershaw single. Giants need to keep him around as long man out of the pen next season.
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The Dodgers clinched a playoff berth and will be tied with the Rockies for first place in the NL West going into tomorrow. The Giants remain tied with Toronto for 9'th place in the Tank Derby. I guess the Giants have the tiebreaker since they had the worse record last year.
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Andrew Suarez faces TBD in the season finale tomorrow afternoon.
Game Wrap 9/28/2018: Dodgers 3 Giants 1
The Giants did not put up much of a fight in the first game of the final series against the Dodgers. Key Lines:
Nick Hundley C- 1 for 4, HR(10). BA= .244. Hundley reached double digits in dingers to give the Giants a short-lived 1-0 lead in the 2'nd inning.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .321. Garcia is showing he can hit for both power and average. SSS, of course.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.26. Bummy's average FB velocity over the past 4 seasons: 93.0, 91.7, 91.3, 90.8. I am not sure if that can rebound. I thought he looked to be in the Best Shape of His Life in spring training and seemed to be throwing harder, but has not looked completely healthy since returning from the hand injury. Whether to trade Bumgarner this offseason might be the biggest decision the new GM will make. The fact that it will be a new GM makes it more likely, IMO.
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The Giants are now tied for 9'th place in the Tank Derby with Toronto. They need to be top 10 to keep the draft pick if they want to sign a FA with a QO. As for the Dodgers, they trail the Rockies by 1 game for the division lead and lead the race for the 2'nd WC spot by 2 games over the Cardinals, so it's unlikely the last two games of the season will have any impact on the final standings.
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Dereck Rodriguez makes the final start of is wonderful rookie season facing Clayton Kershaw, which has to be a thrill for DRod.
Nick Hundley C- 1 for 4, HR(10). BA= .244. Hundley reached double digits in dingers to give the Giants a short-lived 1-0 lead in the 2'nd inning.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .321. Garcia is showing he can hit for both power and average. SSS, of course.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.26. Bummy's average FB velocity over the past 4 seasons: 93.0, 91.7, 91.3, 90.8. I am not sure if that can rebound. I thought he looked to be in the Best Shape of His Life in spring training and seemed to be throwing harder, but has not looked completely healthy since returning from the hand injury. Whether to trade Bumgarner this offseason might be the biggest decision the new GM will make. The fact that it will be a new GM makes it more likely, IMO.
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The Giants are now tied for 9'th place in the Tank Derby with Toronto. They need to be top 10 to keep the draft pick if they want to sign a FA with a QO. As for the Dodgers, they trail the Rockies by 1 game for the division lead and lead the race for the 2'nd WC spot by 2 games over the Cardinals, so it's unlikely the last two games of the season will have any impact on the final standings.
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Dereck Rodriguez makes the final start of is wonderful rookie season facing Clayton Kershaw, which has to be a thrill for DRod.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Thoughts on the Willie Mac Award
The Willie Mac Award for 2018 is coming up. It is given annually to the most inspirational player on the team. While is it is definitely not an MVP award, it is generally given to a player who performed well. It goes beyond playing well, though and is generally a sign of perceived leadership and an ability to make others around the player better. It is voted on by players, coaches, training staff and in recent years by fans. Last year's winner was reserve catcher Nick Hundley. Since the first winner, Jack Clark, in 1980, there have been only 2 multi-year winners: Mike Krukow in 1985 and 1986 and Bengie Molina in 2007 and 2008.
I have 3 nominations for the 2018 award:
Alen Hanson- Hanson was signed as a minor league FA in the offseason and started the season in AAA. He as called up on April 28 when Joe Panik went down with a hand injury and stayed up for the remainder of the season. Although he played more 2B than any other position, he played every position except Pitcher, 1B and C. Hanson brought a clear extra dimension to the team with his speed and always seemed to be having fun out there. He was a fun guy to watch play on a team that wasn't that much fun to watch in general.
Derek Holland- Holland was also signed to a minor league contract in the offseason. He made the Opening Day starting rotation due to injuries to Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. Though he mostly started, he also pitched out of the bullpen without complaint when the Giants projected SP's were briefly active. Not only did he do whatever was asked of him by the team and did it well, he also seemed to be a bit of a cutup in the clubhouse. At one point, he took that just a bit too far on an MLB TV show when he acted out an ill-considered impersonation of an Asian character. After taking well-deserved criticism, he issued what seemed to be a heartfelt apology. Holland also started the 60 feet 6 Foundation in 2014 to raise awareness and fund research for Leukemia, particularly the childhood form.
Dereck Rodriguez- Young Dereck or DRod is Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez' son. He also was signed to a minor league FA contract. He started his career in the Twins organization as an OF and only switched to pitching a couple of years ago. The Giants pursued him aggressively giving him a call within minutes of him officially becoming a minor league FA. He had some rough appearances in spring training and his first AAA start was also pretty bad, but then he put together a string of dominant starts for the Sacramento River Cats. He was called somewhere in the wave of injuries to hit the starting rotation and pitched well. His pedigree, long flowing hair and bulldog determination on the mound captured the fancy of many fans, including me!
I am torn between these 3 players as to who deserves the award most. There is precedence for more that one player to win as Mark Leiter and Mark Carreon were co-winners in 1995. Mark Gardner and Benito Santiago co-won in 2001, and Javier Lopez and Brandon Crawford shared it in 2016. Maybe we can have our first 3-way winners in 2018?
Who is your nominee for the Wllie Mac Award?
I have 3 nominations for the 2018 award:
Alen Hanson- Hanson was signed as a minor league FA in the offseason and started the season in AAA. He as called up on April 28 when Joe Panik went down with a hand injury and stayed up for the remainder of the season. Although he played more 2B than any other position, he played every position except Pitcher, 1B and C. Hanson brought a clear extra dimension to the team with his speed and always seemed to be having fun out there. He was a fun guy to watch play on a team that wasn't that much fun to watch in general.
Derek Holland- Holland was also signed to a minor league contract in the offseason. He made the Opening Day starting rotation due to injuries to Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. Though he mostly started, he also pitched out of the bullpen without complaint when the Giants projected SP's were briefly active. Not only did he do whatever was asked of him by the team and did it well, he also seemed to be a bit of a cutup in the clubhouse. At one point, he took that just a bit too far on an MLB TV show when he acted out an ill-considered impersonation of an Asian character. After taking well-deserved criticism, he issued what seemed to be a heartfelt apology. Holland also started the 60 feet 6 Foundation in 2014 to raise awareness and fund research for Leukemia, particularly the childhood form.
Dereck Rodriguez- Young Dereck or DRod is Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez' son. He also was signed to a minor league FA contract. He started his career in the Twins organization as an OF and only switched to pitching a couple of years ago. The Giants pursued him aggressively giving him a call within minutes of him officially becoming a minor league FA. He had some rough appearances in spring training and his first AAA start was also pretty bad, but then he put together a string of dominant starts for the Sacramento River Cats. He was called somewhere in the wave of injuries to hit the starting rotation and pitched well. His pedigree, long flowing hair and bulldog determination on the mound captured the fancy of many fans, including me!
I am torn between these 3 players as to who deserves the award most. There is precedence for more that one player to win as Mark Leiter and Mark Carreon were co-winners in 1995. Mark Gardner and Benito Santiago co-won in 2001, and Javier Lopez and Brandon Crawford shared it in 2016. Maybe we can have our first 3-way winners in 2018?
Who is your nominee for the Wllie Mac Award?
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Game Wrap 9/26/2018: Padres 3 Giants 2
Aramis Garcia hit his 4'th HR of the month to drive in 2 runs, but the rest of the Giants offense was quiet and could not overcome the 3-0 Padres lead. Key Lines:
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB. BA= .302. Garcia has toonder in his bat and has had quite a month of September. Is he ready for a full season of MLB AB's?
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 3. BA= .250. Avelino gets his first 2 MLB hits. Does not commit any errors.
Casey Kelly RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.04. Kelly decent 5 innings for Kelly. The first run scored on a Freddy Galvis triple and Sac Fly by Wil Myers. The second scored when Travis Jankowski hit a dribbler that was scored as a hit but advanced to 2B on Kelly's wild throw. Jankowski then advanced to 3B on a groundout and scored on a balk. Kelly is someone the Giants should keep on the 40 man roster and bring to spring training next year. Can he be another Giants dumpster dive success story?
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The Giants are in sole possession of 10'th place in the Tank Derby. Q: Is that pick protected even though a compensation pick pushes it down to #11? That could have big implications for signing FA's with QO's.
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The Giants get their last day off at home before starting the final series of the season against the Dodgers who come in trailing the Rockies by 0.5 games. Tank Derby vs knocking off the Bad Guys?
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 3, HR(4), BB. BA= .302. Garcia has toonder in his bat and has had quite a month of September. Is he ready for a full season of MLB AB's?
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 3. BA= .250. Avelino gets his first 2 MLB hits. Does not commit any errors.
Casey Kelly RHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.04. Kelly decent 5 innings for Kelly. The first run scored on a Freddy Galvis triple and Sac Fly by Wil Myers. The second scored when Travis Jankowski hit a dribbler that was scored as a hit but advanced to 2B on Kelly's wild throw. Jankowski then advanced to 3B on a groundout and scored on a balk. Kelly is someone the Giants should keep on the 40 man roster and bring to spring training next year. Can he be another Giants dumpster dive success story?
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The Giants are in sole possession of 10'th place in the Tank Derby. Q: Is that pick protected even though a compensation pick pushes it down to #11? That could have big implications for signing FA's with QO's.
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The Giants get their last day off at home before starting the final series of the season against the Dodgers who come in trailing the Rockies by 0.5 games. Tank Derby vs knocking off the Bad Guys?
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Game Wrap 9/25/2018: Giants 5 Padres 4
The Giants and Padres played a see-saw game which went into extra innings. Madison Bumgarner's PH single in the 12'th was the walk-off game winner. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 5, HR(4). BA= .228. If you squinted real hard, you could see Hunter Pence from 2012, forcing errors with his speed, scoring easily from 1B on a double into the LF corner, hitting a HR. He is hitting .375 with 2 HR's over his last 7 games. .279 over his last 15 and is slugging .435 over his last 30 games. For the right price, do you bring him back next season?
Gregor Blanco PH/LF- 1 for 2, 2B. BA= .220. Blanco gave the Giants the lead in the 7'th inning with a PH double to drive in 2. He is hitting just .167 over his last 7 games, .178 over his last 15 and .159 over his last 30. Probably won't and shouldn't be back next year. I could see him coaching somewhere in the organization next season.
Madison Bumgarner PH- 1 for 1. BA= .167. Gorkys Hernandez led off the 12'th inning with a triple and scored on Bummy PH single. It was the first walk-off hit of Bummy's career. Well, yeah. He's not usually going to be batting in the 9'th or extra innings, right?
Chris Stratton RHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K's GO/AO= 7/0. ERA= 4.85. Stratton huffed and puffed and struggle through 102 pitches in the 4.2 IP. Left his team with a chance to win. Do you pencil Stratton into the 2019 rotation?
Steven Okert- LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Okert got out of Stratton's jam in the 5'th with a K then got the first 2 outs in the 6'th around a double by Freddy Galvis. Reyes Moronta came in to end the threat on a groundout by Uber-rook Franmil Reyes. Both Tony Watson and Will Smith likely have significant trade value. The Giants could afford to part with one of them and still have the other plus Okert and Ty Blach as LH arms out of the pen. Okert looks like he's upped his game significantly this season.
Mark Melancon RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.08. It wasn't pretty, but it was 6 outs without allowing a run. Melancon had some pretty serious luck, though when he got an out from Franmil Reyes getting hit with a batted ball between 2'nd and 3'rd in the top of the 12'th, although Crawford almost certainly would have started a GIDP had the ball not deflected off Reyes' foot, so maybe it was actually bad luck!
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The Giants are tied with the Twins for 10'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Casey Kelly gets a chance to showcase himself for next season with a start tonight against Luis Perdomo in the final game of the series and Giants last game agains the Padres this season.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 5, HR(4). BA= .228. If you squinted real hard, you could see Hunter Pence from 2012, forcing errors with his speed, scoring easily from 1B on a double into the LF corner, hitting a HR. He is hitting .375 with 2 HR's over his last 7 games. .279 over his last 15 and is slugging .435 over his last 30 games. For the right price, do you bring him back next season?
Gregor Blanco PH/LF- 1 for 2, 2B. BA= .220. Blanco gave the Giants the lead in the 7'th inning with a PH double to drive in 2. He is hitting just .167 over his last 7 games, .178 over his last 15 and .159 over his last 30. Probably won't and shouldn't be back next year. I could see him coaching somewhere in the organization next season.
Madison Bumgarner PH- 1 for 1. BA= .167. Gorkys Hernandez led off the 12'th inning with a triple and scored on Bummy PH single. It was the first walk-off hit of Bummy's career. Well, yeah. He's not usually going to be batting in the 9'th or extra innings, right?
Chris Stratton RHP- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K's GO/AO= 7/0. ERA= 4.85. Stratton huffed and puffed and struggle through 102 pitches in the 4.2 IP. Left his team with a chance to win. Do you pencil Stratton into the 2019 rotation?
Steven Okert- LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Okert got out of Stratton's jam in the 5'th with a K then got the first 2 outs in the 6'th around a double by Freddy Galvis. Reyes Moronta came in to end the threat on a groundout by Uber-rook Franmil Reyes. Both Tony Watson and Will Smith likely have significant trade value. The Giants could afford to part with one of them and still have the other plus Okert and Ty Blach as LH arms out of the pen. Okert looks like he's upped his game significantly this season.
Mark Melancon RHP- 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.08. It wasn't pretty, but it was 6 outs without allowing a run. Melancon had some pretty serious luck, though when he got an out from Franmil Reyes getting hit with a batted ball between 2'nd and 3'rd in the top of the 12'th, although Crawford almost certainly would have started a GIDP had the ball not deflected off Reyes' foot, so maybe it was actually bad luck!
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The Giants are tied with the Twins for 10'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Casey Kelly gets a chance to showcase himself for next season with a start tonight against Luis Perdomo in the final game of the series and Giants last game agains the Padres this season.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
State of the Giants: Bobby Evans Fired!
Yesterday, what had been rumored for several days became official: GM Bobby Evans became the main scapegoat for a team that collapsed for the second straight year. Other shoes may drop in coming days, but Evans was apparently the guy most responsible for the Giants current roster which is expensive, bad and mostly locked in place.
Gotta say I have mixed feelings about Evans tenure. Since taking over the role at the start of the 2015 season, I thought his processes were mostly good, though admittedly on the risky side. Those risks turned up snake-eyes time after time and ultimately cost him his job.
Evans first offseason and chance to put his stamp on the team came after the 2015 season. The Giants had a relatively young core of Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt along with Hunter Pence. Tim Lincecum's Giants career was ending and Matt Cain's was in a steep decline. The Giants needed to bolster their starting pitching and needed a CF who could also lead off. All eyes were on Evans at the winter meetings when he addressed these needs with big signings of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija followed by Denard Span. There were questions about the bullpen but Bruce Bochy had always been able to build a bullpen on the fly.
The plan got off to a tremendous start as the Giants went into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball. Then the bullpen collapsed! Evans traded Matt Duffy and a prospect to the Rays for lefty Matt Moore who was inconsistent but pitched some great games down the stretch, but the bullpen continued to struggle. The Giants 2016 season fittingly ended with a bullpen collapse in the Wild Card playoff game.
Evans again aggressively addressed the bullpen by handing out a 4 year/$60 M contract to Mark Melancon in the offseason, which might be the move that ultimately sealed his fate as GM. Melancon showed up hurt out of the gate in 2017 and the wheels came off when Madison Bumgarner injured his shoulder in an ill-considered mountain bike accident while Hunter Pence and Denard Span's legs turned to rubber and series of injuries ended the seasons of several young players just as they seemed to be getting some traction. Matt Moore's pitching career collapsed.
Evans now faced a seemingly impossible task of addressing multiple holes in the roster while staying under the CBT threshold so the Giants could reset on their CBT penalty. His response was again aggressive but risky. He sent a couple of prospects to Texas to get them to take on Matt Moore's contract. He traded for Andrew McCutchen who had one year left on a reasonable contract to play RF. He shipped Denard Span to the Rays along with another couple of prospects for Evan Longoria, whose contract still fit into the CBT limit but also had another 4 years on it.
It didn't look terrible on paper, but the risk bit back hard as injuries poured down like a rain in a winter storm in an El Nino year. Bumgarner broke his hand in his final pre-season start, Jeff Samardzija started the season on the DL with a shoulder strain which never got better and Johnny Cueto, who pitched great for a few starts, went out with TJ surgery. Melancon's arm was still not right. Add in injuries to Longoria, Mac Williamson, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey. The Giants hung onto the edges of the postseason race until near the end of July and even mid-August but they finally threw in the towel on August 31 by trading McCutchen to the Yankees for a couple of aging prospects.
The Giants now face an aging roster, a bloated payroll and fixed obligations that severely restrict roster options for at least the next 3 seasons when the core contracts start coming off the books. The Giants farm system under Evans got younger and more athletic but that left a "donut hole" of talent in the mid-upper minors, so help does not appear to be on the way from the farm system within the next year or two.
In the end, Bobby Evans takes the blame for this mess even though the longterm obligations had to have been decided as a group. If they weren't, and he was the sole decision-maker, that is an organizational flaw that goes back to Larry Baer and Brian Sabean, which reminds me of the line in Neil Young's Powderfinger: "....so the powers that be left me here to do the thinkin'........". I thought his process was about as good as it could be given the organizational business model of competing every year and the homegrown core that was already in place. He took risks and those risks all broke in the wrong direction.
The new GM, whoever that is, now faces a daunting task. Almost any analytics minded person will take one look and tell ownership that the only way out is a teardown and rebuild with an aim to compete again in the next decade. Baer and Sabean have said over and over that is not an option. Personally, I am not convinced that an "analytics" person who thinks like every other GM in MLB is necessarily the answer here, but I will admit that the organization seems to be very ossified in its thinking and it's time for a new perspective.
Gotta say I have mixed feelings about Evans tenure. Since taking over the role at the start of the 2015 season, I thought his processes were mostly good, though admittedly on the risky side. Those risks turned up snake-eyes time after time and ultimately cost him his job.
Evans first offseason and chance to put his stamp on the team came after the 2015 season. The Giants had a relatively young core of Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt along with Hunter Pence. Tim Lincecum's Giants career was ending and Matt Cain's was in a steep decline. The Giants needed to bolster their starting pitching and needed a CF who could also lead off. All eyes were on Evans at the winter meetings when he addressed these needs with big signings of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija followed by Denard Span. There were questions about the bullpen but Bruce Bochy had always been able to build a bullpen on the fly.
The plan got off to a tremendous start as the Giants went into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball. Then the bullpen collapsed! Evans traded Matt Duffy and a prospect to the Rays for lefty Matt Moore who was inconsistent but pitched some great games down the stretch, but the bullpen continued to struggle. The Giants 2016 season fittingly ended with a bullpen collapse in the Wild Card playoff game.
Evans again aggressively addressed the bullpen by handing out a 4 year/$60 M contract to Mark Melancon in the offseason, which might be the move that ultimately sealed his fate as GM. Melancon showed up hurt out of the gate in 2017 and the wheels came off when Madison Bumgarner injured his shoulder in an ill-considered mountain bike accident while Hunter Pence and Denard Span's legs turned to rubber and series of injuries ended the seasons of several young players just as they seemed to be getting some traction. Matt Moore's pitching career collapsed.
Evans now faced a seemingly impossible task of addressing multiple holes in the roster while staying under the CBT threshold so the Giants could reset on their CBT penalty. His response was again aggressive but risky. He sent a couple of prospects to Texas to get them to take on Matt Moore's contract. He traded for Andrew McCutchen who had one year left on a reasonable contract to play RF. He shipped Denard Span to the Rays along with another couple of prospects for Evan Longoria, whose contract still fit into the CBT limit but also had another 4 years on it.
It didn't look terrible on paper, but the risk bit back hard as injuries poured down like a rain in a winter storm in an El Nino year. Bumgarner broke his hand in his final pre-season start, Jeff Samardzija started the season on the DL with a shoulder strain which never got better and Johnny Cueto, who pitched great for a few starts, went out with TJ surgery. Melancon's arm was still not right. Add in injuries to Longoria, Mac Williamson, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey. The Giants hung onto the edges of the postseason race until near the end of July and even mid-August but they finally threw in the towel on August 31 by trading McCutchen to the Yankees for a couple of aging prospects.
The Giants now face an aging roster, a bloated payroll and fixed obligations that severely restrict roster options for at least the next 3 seasons when the core contracts start coming off the books. The Giants farm system under Evans got younger and more athletic but that left a "donut hole" of talent in the mid-upper minors, so help does not appear to be on the way from the farm system within the next year or two.
In the end, Bobby Evans takes the blame for this mess even though the longterm obligations had to have been decided as a group. If they weren't, and he was the sole decision-maker, that is an organizational flaw that goes back to Larry Baer and Brian Sabean, which reminds me of the line in Neil Young's Powderfinger: "....so the powers that be left me here to do the thinkin'........". I thought his process was about as good as it could be given the organizational business model of competing every year and the homegrown core that was already in place. He took risks and those risks all broke in the wrong direction.
The new GM, whoever that is, now faces a daunting task. Almost any analytics minded person will take one look and tell ownership that the only way out is a teardown and rebuild with an aim to compete again in the next decade. Baer and Sabean have said over and over that is not an option. Personally, I am not convinced that an "analytics" person who thinks like every other GM in MLB is necessarily the answer here, but I will admit that the organization seems to be very ossified in its thinking and it's time for a new perspective.
Game Wrap 9/24/2018: Padres 5 Giants 0
The Giants did not put up much of a fight in this one as they were dominated in all phases of the game by one of a few teams behind them in the standings. Key Lines:
Lineup: 7 hits scattered among 6 hitters. 1 2B by Brandon Crawford. No pop.
Derek Holland LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.63. Not one of his best Starts, but remember when we said early in the season that if Holland put up a line like this every start, the Giants would be happy? He still had a shot at a QS when he was lifted for a PH in the bottom of the 5'th.
Ty Blach LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.32. The 3 hits were consecutive and the last 2 were soft liners to CF. Classic BABIPing. Blach is a valuable long man out of the pen/spot starter for next season.
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The Giants passed the Twins for 10'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Chris Stratton faces Robbie Erlin in game 2 of the series tonight.
Lineup: 7 hits scattered among 6 hitters. 1 2B by Brandon Crawford. No pop.
Derek Holland LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.63. Not one of his best Starts, but remember when we said early in the season that if Holland put up a line like this every start, the Giants would be happy? He still had a shot at a QS when he was lifted for a PH in the bottom of the 5'th.
Ty Blach LHP- 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 4.32. The 3 hits were consecutive and the last 2 were soft liners to CF. Classic BABIPing. Blach is a valuable long man out of the pen/spot starter for next season.
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The Giants passed the Twins for 10'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Chris Stratton faces Robbie Erlin in game 2 of the series tonight.
Monday, September 24, 2018
GM Job Interview
There is noise coming out of the Giants camp about hiring a "high level" baseball executive from outside the organization which would kick Brian Sabean back upstairs and leave Bobby Evans.....somewhere. You have a great plan for rebuilding the Giants and think you would be perfect for the position. In the Comments, lay out what you would tell Larry Baer and Brian Sabean in your interview about your plan for the Giants in 2019 and beyond. Be as specific as possible. If you want to fire Bruce Bochy, who would you hire to replace him? If you want to trade Madison Bumgarner, where would you trade him to and for whom? If you want to keep Bummy, how much are you going to pay him and how does that fit into the budget for the next 5-6 years?
Here's your big chance. Run with it!
Here's your big chance. Run with it!
Down on the Farm: DSL Giants 2018 Season Review
The DSL Giants seemed younger than in recent memory with mostly 17 yo prospects leading the way to a 37-35 record, good for 3'rd place in the Northeast Division. Top Performers:
BA: Samuel Jorge- .274. Luis Toribio- .270. Ismael Alcantara- .262.
Runs: Ghordy Santos- 49. Luis Toribio- 44. Richgelon Juliana- 39.
HR: Luis Toribio- 10. Jean Pena- 6. Keyberth Mejias- 4.
RBI: Luis Toribio- 39. Richgelon Juliana- 35. Jean Pena- 33.
SB: Ghordy Santos- 18. Robinson Batista- 11. Richgelon Juliana- 9.
Wins: Cristian Acosta- 5. Jesus Gomez- 5. Juan Sanchez- 4.
Saves: Jose Cruz- 5. Jesus Gomez- 3. Josdeiker Marcano- 3.
K's: Juan Sanchez- 63. Jesus Gomez- 60. Sonny Vargas- 48.
ERA: Sonny Vargas- 3.12. Jesus Sanchez- 3.39.
WHIP: Sonny Vargas- 1.04. Jesus Sanchez- 1.25.
Special Name Award: C Rodolfo Bone.(Put up some impressive numbers too, but in too small a sample to be ranked as a statistical leader).
Burning Question: Is Ghordy Santos the guy who has hit under .200 for the first 2 months in both 2017 and 2018 or the guy who tore it up in August both seasons? Is that enough to get him to Arizona in 2019?
BA: Samuel Jorge- .274. Luis Toribio- .270. Ismael Alcantara- .262.
Runs: Ghordy Santos- 49. Luis Toribio- 44. Richgelon Juliana- 39.
HR: Luis Toribio- 10. Jean Pena- 6. Keyberth Mejias- 4.
RBI: Luis Toribio- 39. Richgelon Juliana- 35. Jean Pena- 33.
SB: Ghordy Santos- 18. Robinson Batista- 11. Richgelon Juliana- 9.
Wins: Cristian Acosta- 5. Jesus Gomez- 5. Juan Sanchez- 4.
Saves: Jose Cruz- 5. Jesus Gomez- 3. Josdeiker Marcano- 3.
K's: Juan Sanchez- 63. Jesus Gomez- 60. Sonny Vargas- 48.
ERA: Sonny Vargas- 3.12. Jesus Sanchez- 3.39.
WHIP: Sonny Vargas- 1.04. Jesus Sanchez- 1.25.
Special Name Award: C Rodolfo Bone.(Put up some impressive numbers too, but in too small a sample to be ranked as a statistical leader).
Burning Question: Is Ghordy Santos the guy who has hit under .200 for the first 2 months in both 2017 and 2018 or the guy who tore it up in August both seasons? Is that enough to get him to Arizona in 2019?
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Game Wrap 9/23/2018: Cardinals 9 Giants 2
The Giants have never been a great Getaway Day team and they showed up to this one flatter than a pancake, so to speak. Well, Andrew Suarez was a gamer, but came out after 5 innings for a PH because the Giants were trailing 2-0, so missed out an a chance for a QS. After that it was blowout time. Key Lines:
Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, HR(14). BA= .256. Crawford has put up pretty much the same season as last year, which is disappointing but probably about what we should expect in future seasons. His 14'th HR came in garbage time long after the outcome of the game was in doubt.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.22. Suarez was just 2 pitches over the 5-inning target of 75, but with the Giants trailing and possibly wanting to limit Andrew's innings just a bit, Bochy brought in PH to lead off the top of the 6'th. Suarez continues to state his case for inclusion in the Giants projected starting rotation for 2019.
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The Mets topped the Nationals so the Giants move into 11'th place in the Tank Derby, a percentage point behind the Twins.
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The Giants fly home to start the penultimate series of 2018 against the Padres with Derek Holland facing Bryan Mitchell tomorrow evening at AT&T Park.
Brandon Crawford SS- 1 for 4, HR(14). BA= .256. Crawford has put up pretty much the same season as last year, which is disappointing but probably about what we should expect in future seasons. His 14'th HR came in garbage time long after the outcome of the game was in doubt.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.22. Suarez was just 2 pitches over the 5-inning target of 75, but with the Giants trailing and possibly wanting to limit Andrew's innings just a bit, Bochy brought in PH to lead off the top of the 6'th. Suarez continues to state his case for inclusion in the Giants projected starting rotation for 2019.
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The Mets topped the Nationals so the Giants move into 11'th place in the Tank Derby, a percentage point behind the Twins.
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The Giants fly home to start the penultimate series of 2018 against the Padres with Derek Holland facing Bryan Mitchell tomorrow evening at AT&T Park.
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Game Wrap 9/22/2018: Cardinals 5 Giants 4
Dereck Rodriguez had a Quality Start through 6 innings but lost it on a 2-run homer by Yadier Molina before recording an out in the 7'th. The Cardinals went on to win on a walkoff HR off Mark Melancon with, you guessed it, 2 outs in the 10'th inning. Key Lines:
Joe Panik 1B- 3 for 4, BB. BA= .254. Panik put on a 1B glove for this one with Aramis Garcia moving behind the plate and Austin Slater and Nick Hundley on the bench.
Aramis Garcia C- 4 for 4, 2B. BA= .368. Aramis contributed to all 4 Giants runs with 2 RBI's and 2 Runs scored. Very nice bounceback from his 4 K game in the opener! He probably needs at least another half season of salt in AAA next year, but he is giving us something to dream on here in September.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.50. This is why QS's mean something. DRod had one in the bag through 6 innings. 2 batters into the 7'th and poof! It was gone! And without getting any credit for getting into the 7'th inning to boot.
Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 3.25. I was starting to feel a little optimistic about the final 2 years of Melancon's contract until the last couple of games. Oof! Not good. The man still does not look right, although he does not seem to have trouble getting the first 2 outs. Ugh!
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The Giants remain tied with the Mets for 11'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Andrew Suarez tries to salvage a W in the series finale tomorrow facing Miles Mikolas.
Joe Panik 1B- 3 for 4, BB. BA= .254. Panik put on a 1B glove for this one with Aramis Garcia moving behind the plate and Austin Slater and Nick Hundley on the bench.
Aramis Garcia C- 4 for 4, 2B. BA= .368. Aramis contributed to all 4 Giants runs with 2 RBI's and 2 Runs scored. Very nice bounceback from his 4 K game in the opener! He probably needs at least another half season of salt in AAA next year, but he is giving us something to dream on here in September.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.50. This is why QS's mean something. DRod had one in the bag through 6 innings. 2 batters into the 7'th and poof! It was gone! And without getting any credit for getting into the 7'th inning to boot.
Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 3.25. I was starting to feel a little optimistic about the final 2 years of Melancon's contract until the last couple of games. Oof! Not good. The man still does not look right, although he does not seem to have trouble getting the first 2 outs. Ugh!
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The Giants remain tied with the Mets for 11'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Andrew Suarez tries to salvage a W in the series finale tomorrow facing Miles Mikolas.
Down on the Farm: AZL Giants Orange 2018 Season Review
The Giants other AZL team, Giants Orange, played 1 more game on the season and lost it to finish 30-26, 0.5 games behind Giants Black in the AZL East. Top Performers:
BA: Yorlis Rodriguez- .323. Beicker Mendoza- .301. Tyler Flores- .296.
Runs: Yorlis Rodriguez- 30. Anyesber Sivira- 30. Patrick Hilson- 25.
HR: Fabian Pena- 5. Patrick Hilson- 4. Beicker Mendoza- 4.
RBI: Beicker Mendoza- 35. Tyler Flores- 28. Yorlis Rodriguez- 26.
SB: George Bell- 9. Yorlis Rodriguez- 6. Patrick Hilson- 5.
Wins: Seth Corry- 3. Marco Gonzalez- 3. Jorge Labrador- 3.
Saves: Chris Roberts- 4. Yoel Veras- 2. Logan Harasta- 1.
K's: Marco Gonzalez- 55. Javier Herrera- 49. Seth Corry- 42.
ERA: Francis Pena- 3.17. Jasier Herrera- 3.88. Marco Gonzalez- 6.28.
WHIP: Jasier Herrera- 1.28. Francis Pena- 1.48. Marco Gonzalez- 1.67.
Burning Question: Is Seth Corry read for full season ball?
BA: Yorlis Rodriguez- .323. Beicker Mendoza- .301. Tyler Flores- .296.
Runs: Yorlis Rodriguez- 30. Anyesber Sivira- 30. Patrick Hilson- 25.
HR: Fabian Pena- 5. Patrick Hilson- 4. Beicker Mendoza- 4.
RBI: Beicker Mendoza- 35. Tyler Flores- 28. Yorlis Rodriguez- 26.
SB: George Bell- 9. Yorlis Rodriguez- 6. Patrick Hilson- 5.
Wins: Seth Corry- 3. Marco Gonzalez- 3. Jorge Labrador- 3.
Saves: Chris Roberts- 4. Yoel Veras- 2. Logan Harasta- 1.
K's: Marco Gonzalez- 55. Javier Herrera- 49. Seth Corry- 42.
ERA: Francis Pena- 3.17. Jasier Herrera- 3.88. Marco Gonzalez- 6.28.
WHIP: Jasier Herrera- 1.28. Francis Pena- 1.48. Marco Gonzalez- 1.67.
Burning Question: Is Seth Corry read for full season ball?
Down on the Farm: AZL Giants Black 2018 Season Review
This was the first season for the Giants to have 2 teams in the AZL. Rather than designate them as teams 1 and 2 like most other organizations with 2 teams in a league, they went with Giants Black and Giants Orange. I like it! Anyway, they Giants Black finished with a winning record of 30-25 to finish in 3'rd place, 7.5 games behind the Cubs 1 team. Here are the AZL Black top performers:
BA: Abdiel Layer- .289. Sean Roby- .281. Frankie Tostado- .281.
Runs: Alexander Canario- 36. Frankie Tostado- 34. Sean Roby- 29.
HR: Alexander Canario- 6. Sean Roby- 5. Abdiel Layer- 3.
RBI: Frankie Tostado- 35. Abdiel Layer- 25. Sean Roby- 23.
SB: Randy Norris- 10. Abdiel Layer- 9. Alexander Canario- 8.
Wins: Israel Cruz- 5. Luis Moreno- 4. Oliver Pinto- 4.
Saves: Cooper Casad- 4. Trevor Horn- 4. Travis Perry- 2.
K's: Israel Cruz- 66. Luis Moreno- 58. Conner Nurse- 56.
ERA: Luis Moreno- 2.91. Conner Nurse- 3.23. Israel Cruz- 3.97.
WHIP: Luis Moreno- 1.26. Conner Nurse- 1.40. Israel Cruz- 1.44.
Burning Question: Is Alexander Canario ready for full season ball?
BA: Abdiel Layer- .289. Sean Roby- .281. Frankie Tostado- .281.
Runs: Alexander Canario- 36. Frankie Tostado- 34. Sean Roby- 29.
HR: Alexander Canario- 6. Sean Roby- 5. Abdiel Layer- 3.
RBI: Frankie Tostado- 35. Abdiel Layer- 25. Sean Roby- 23.
SB: Randy Norris- 10. Abdiel Layer- 9. Alexander Canario- 8.
Wins: Israel Cruz- 5. Luis Moreno- 4. Oliver Pinto- 4.
Saves: Cooper Casad- 4. Trevor Horn- 4. Travis Perry- 2.
K's: Israel Cruz- 66. Luis Moreno- 58. Conner Nurse- 56.
ERA: Luis Moreno- 2.91. Conner Nurse- 3.23. Israel Cruz- 3.97.
WHIP: Luis Moreno- 1.26. Conner Nurse- 1.40. Israel Cruz- 1.44.
Burning Question: Is Alexander Canario ready for full season ball?
Game Wrap 9/21/2018: Cardinals 5 Giants 3
A squibbed, broken bat liner down the 3B line in the 8'th inning by Matt Adams was the difference in this ballgame. Of course, a team that strikes out 8 times is going to get more chances for hits like that than a team that strikes out 16 times. Key Lines:
Evan Longoria 3B- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .250. Longo was just 2 for 17 coming into this game. Fun Fact: His hard hit percentage is the highest of his career.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .237. Shaw singled in his first AB then drew a bases-loaded walk in the 3'rd to drive in the Giants first run of the game and chase SP John Gant.
Alen Hanson PH/2B- 2 for 2, 2B. BA= .264. Based solely on this year's performances, Hanson should be the starting 2B heading into the offseason.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.20. Although the Giants loss may have been a bit BABIPy, Bummy got some outs on hard-hit balls too, so it cuts both ways. He did leave the game tied after the Giants 2-run 7'th inning.
Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.06. We've seen this from Melancon time and again: 2 quick outs then hit a wall. Tony Watson came in to face the LH batting Adams and made the pitch he wanted, but Adams would not have had the opportunity to put the ball in play had not those 2 runners reached. The 2-out walk hurts the most. Not the type of performance to get himself penciled in as the closer in the offseason.
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The Loss left the Giants tied with the Mets for 11'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Young Dereck Rodriguez faces Adam Wainwright in a Fox Game of the Week at 10:05 AM PDT.
Evan Longoria 3B- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .250. Longo was just 2 for 17 coming into this game. Fun Fact: His hard hit percentage is the highest of his career.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .237. Shaw singled in his first AB then drew a bases-loaded walk in the 3'rd to drive in the Giants first run of the game and chase SP John Gant.
Alen Hanson PH/2B- 2 for 2, 2B. BA= .264. Based solely on this year's performances, Hanson should be the starting 2B heading into the offseason.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.20. Although the Giants loss may have been a bit BABIPy, Bummy got some outs on hard-hit balls too, so it cuts both ways. He did leave the game tied after the Giants 2-run 7'th inning.
Mark Melancon RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.06. We've seen this from Melancon time and again: 2 quick outs then hit a wall. Tony Watson came in to face the LH batting Adams and made the pitch he wanted, but Adams would not have had the opportunity to put the ball in play had not those 2 runners reached. The 2-out walk hurts the most. Not the type of performance to get himself penciled in as the closer in the offseason.
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The Loss left the Giants tied with the Mets for 11'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Young Dereck Rodriguez faces Adam Wainwright in a Fox Game of the Week at 10:05 AM PDT.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Down on the Farm: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 2018 Season Review
The Northwest League has always been hitter-friendly. The 2018 Salem-Keizer Volcanoes took that to an extreme with a mashing offense and gas can pitching to a 36-40 record, good for 2'nd place in the South Division but 15 games behind the Hillsboro Hops who were the class of the league. Top Performers:
BA(100+ AB's): Mikey Edie- .328. Dalton Combs- .318. Diego Rincones- .315.
Hits: Kyle McPherson- 88. Diego Rincones- 81. Wander Franco(The Younger)- 66.
2B: Wander Alexander Franco- 24. Kyle McPherson- 23. David Villar- 22.
3B: Aaron Bond- 5. Kyle McPherson- 3.
HR: Aaron Bond- 14. Joey Bart- 13. David Villar- 13.
SB: Aaron Bond- 8. Mikey Edie- 8. Jose Layer- 4.
Runs: Kyle McPherson- 49. Aaron Bond- 38. David Villar- 36.
RBI: David Villar- 48. Aaron Bond- 39. Joey Bart- 39.
IP: Greg Jacknewitz- 53.2. Gregory Santos- 49.2. Norwith Gudino- 45.1.
SP ERA(30+ IP): Gregory Santos- 4.53. Norwith Gudino- 5.36. Greg Jacknewitz- 6.88.
RF ERA(15+ IP): Jesus Tona- 0.87. Trent Toplikar- 1.23. Doug Still- 2.84.
K's: Gregory Santos- 46. Solomon Bates- 45. Greg Jacknewitz- 45.
Saves: Jesus Tona- 12.
K/9(15+ IP): Solomon Bates- 14.64. Jesus Tona- 11.90. Matt Frisbee- 11.85.
BB/9(15+ IP): Ryan Walker- 0.90. Norwith Gudino- 1.19. Stetson Woods- 1.69.
K/BB(15+ IP): Ryan Walker- 9.50. Norwith Gudino- 6.83. Sean Hjelle- 5.50.
Burning Question: Is Sean Hjelle already a bust?
BA(100+ AB's): Mikey Edie- .328. Dalton Combs- .318. Diego Rincones- .315.
Hits: Kyle McPherson- 88. Diego Rincones- 81. Wander Franco(The Younger)- 66.
2B: Wander Alexander Franco- 24. Kyle McPherson- 23. David Villar- 22.
3B: Aaron Bond- 5. Kyle McPherson- 3.
HR: Aaron Bond- 14. Joey Bart- 13. David Villar- 13.
SB: Aaron Bond- 8. Mikey Edie- 8. Jose Layer- 4.
Runs: Kyle McPherson- 49. Aaron Bond- 38. David Villar- 36.
RBI: David Villar- 48. Aaron Bond- 39. Joey Bart- 39.
IP: Greg Jacknewitz- 53.2. Gregory Santos- 49.2. Norwith Gudino- 45.1.
SP ERA(30+ IP): Gregory Santos- 4.53. Norwith Gudino- 5.36. Greg Jacknewitz- 6.88.
RF ERA(15+ IP): Jesus Tona- 0.87. Trent Toplikar- 1.23. Doug Still- 2.84.
K's: Gregory Santos- 46. Solomon Bates- 45. Greg Jacknewitz- 45.
Saves: Jesus Tona- 12.
K/9(15+ IP): Solomon Bates- 14.64. Jesus Tona- 11.90. Matt Frisbee- 11.85.
BB/9(15+ IP): Ryan Walker- 0.90. Norwith Gudino- 1.19. Stetson Woods- 1.69.
K/BB(15+ IP): Ryan Walker- 9.50. Norwith Gudino- 6.83. Sean Hjelle- 5.50.
Burning Question: Is Sean Hjelle already a bust?
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Down on the Farm: Augusta Greenjackets 2018 Season Review
The 2018 Augusta Greenjackets featured an brand new ballpark and the top prospect in the Giants system, Heliot Ramos. The GJ's got off to a strong start due to strong pitching from several older college draft picks finishing the first half in 2'nd place in the Southern Division at 37-31. After many of those pitchers moved up or on, the second half did not go as well with the GJ's finishing last at 30-39 for an overall record of 67-70 good for 3'rd place in the division. Top Performers:
BA(200+ AB): Manuel Geraldo- .294. Logan Baldwin- .249. Heliot Ramos- .245.
Hits: Manuel Geraldo- 143. Heliot Ramos- 119. Logan Baldwin- 107.
2B: Ryan Kirby- 32. Heliot Ramos- 24. Logan Baldwin- 22.
3B: Logan Baldwin- 10. Heliot Ramos- 8. Ismael Munguia- 3.
HR: Ryan Kirby- 14. Heliot Ramos- 11. Manuel Geraldo- 9.
SB: Logan Baldwin- 26. Manuel Geraldo- 24. Nick Hill- 13.
Runs: Manuel Geraldo- 71. Ryan Kirby- 62. Heliot Ramos- 61.
RBI: Ryan Kirby- 61. Manuel Geraldo- 52. Heliot Ramos- 52.
IP: Jose Marte- 118.2. Garrett Cave- 116. Aaron Phillips- 101.2.
SP ERA(50+ IP): John Gavin 2.08. Joey Marciano- 2.58. Jason Bahr- 2.75.
RP ERA(25+ IP): Frank Rubio 1.55. Franklin Van Gurp- 1.77. Olbis Parra- 2.24.
K's: Aaron Phillips- 120. Garrett Cave- 118. Jose Marte- 112.
Saves: Camilo Doval- 11. Frank Rubio- 10. John Russell- 7.
K/9(25+ IP): Camilo Doval- 13.25. Jason Bahr- 11.53. John Timmins- 11.33.
BB/9(25+ IP): Olbis Parra- 1.19. Aaron Phillips- 1.42. Caleb Baragar- 1.75.
K/BB(25+ IP): Aaron Phillips- 7.50. John Timmins- 5.67. Caleb Baragar- 5.62.
Promotions to Higher Levels: John Gavin, Joey Marciano, Jason Bahr(later traded), Franklin Van Gurp, Frank Rubio, Peter Lannoo.
Promotions From Lower Levels: Norwith Gudino, Stetson Woods, JJ Santa Cruz.
Possible 2019 Roster: Alexander Canario, Diego Rincones, Kyle McPherson, Wander Franco, Jose Layer, Aaron Bond, Ricardo Genoves, Dalton Combs, Gregory Santos, Keaton Winn, Solomon Bates, Stetson Woods, Seth Corry, Norwith Gudino, Abdiel Layer, Frankie Tostado, Victor Concepcion, Conner Nurse, Jacob Lopez, Julio Rodriguez, Chris Roberts.
Burning Question: Is Heliot Ramos ready for the California League?
BA(200+ AB): Manuel Geraldo- .294. Logan Baldwin- .249. Heliot Ramos- .245.
Hits: Manuel Geraldo- 143. Heliot Ramos- 119. Logan Baldwin- 107.
2B: Ryan Kirby- 32. Heliot Ramos- 24. Logan Baldwin- 22.
3B: Logan Baldwin- 10. Heliot Ramos- 8. Ismael Munguia- 3.
HR: Ryan Kirby- 14. Heliot Ramos- 11. Manuel Geraldo- 9.
SB: Logan Baldwin- 26. Manuel Geraldo- 24. Nick Hill- 13.
Runs: Manuel Geraldo- 71. Ryan Kirby- 62. Heliot Ramos- 61.
RBI: Ryan Kirby- 61. Manuel Geraldo- 52. Heliot Ramos- 52.
IP: Jose Marte- 118.2. Garrett Cave- 116. Aaron Phillips- 101.2.
SP ERA(50+ IP): John Gavin 2.08. Joey Marciano- 2.58. Jason Bahr- 2.75.
RP ERA(25+ IP): Frank Rubio 1.55. Franklin Van Gurp- 1.77. Olbis Parra- 2.24.
K's: Aaron Phillips- 120. Garrett Cave- 118. Jose Marte- 112.
Saves: Camilo Doval- 11. Frank Rubio- 10. John Russell- 7.
K/9(25+ IP): Camilo Doval- 13.25. Jason Bahr- 11.53. John Timmins- 11.33.
BB/9(25+ IP): Olbis Parra- 1.19. Aaron Phillips- 1.42. Caleb Baragar- 1.75.
K/BB(25+ IP): Aaron Phillips- 7.50. John Timmins- 5.67. Caleb Baragar- 5.62.
Promotions to Higher Levels: John Gavin, Joey Marciano, Jason Bahr(later traded), Franklin Van Gurp, Frank Rubio, Peter Lannoo.
Promotions From Lower Levels: Norwith Gudino, Stetson Woods, JJ Santa Cruz.
Possible 2019 Roster: Alexander Canario, Diego Rincones, Kyle McPherson, Wander Franco, Jose Layer, Aaron Bond, Ricardo Genoves, Dalton Combs, Gregory Santos, Keaton Winn, Solomon Bates, Stetson Woods, Seth Corry, Norwith Gudino, Abdiel Layer, Frankie Tostado, Victor Concepcion, Conner Nurse, Jacob Lopez, Julio Rodriguez, Chris Roberts.
Burning Question: Is Heliot Ramos ready for the California League?
Game Wrap 9/19/2018: Padres 8 Giants 4
Chris Stratton went from batting hero to pitching goat in less than 1 inning. Key Lines:
Nick Hundley C- 2 for 4. BA= .246. Hundley started the rallying the 2'nd inning with a single. He is hitting .391 over his last 7 games.
Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 4. BA= .259. Crawford is 5 for 8 in his last 2 starts after a long severe slump.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .333. Garcia has alway had toonder in this bat. He showed it in the 8'th inning when Craig Stammen was pounding the low-outside corner with hard sinkers. Instead of trying to pull them, like a lot of young hitters would do, Garcia drove the ball the other way for a rare dinger by a RH batter to RF in Petco Park. Man! Kruk and Kuip could not, would not, stop raving about that!
Chris Stratton RHP- 1 for 1, 2B. BA= .143. Stratton's double in the 2'nd inning came with 2 outs and drove in 3 runs to give the Giants a short-lived 3-0 lead.
Chris Stratton RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.88. Stratton may have been still thinking about that double when he took the mound on the bottom of the 2'nd inning and promptly face-planted, giving up a walk, single, single, single, SF, Sac, HR, Single before recording an unproductive out to end the inning. He came back out to pitch a scoreless 3'rd inning before ironically being lifted for a PH in the top of the 4'th.
Ty Blach LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.28. This was a better outing than it looks from the line. Blach retired the first 6 batters he faced then gave up a leadoff single in the 8'th to Eric Hosmer who beat the shift with a ground ball past 3B. That brought in Ray Black to face the fearsome Franmil Reyes who drew a walk. Black got Cory Spangenberg to strike out, but then Freddy Galvis sat on a 99 MPH and turned it around for a 3 run dinger that put the game away and turned that single Blach gave up into an ER.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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The Giants get a travel day to go to St Louis where Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to start Game 1 of the series Friday night against RHP John Gant. Remember Bummy left his last start early with tightness in his side.
Nick Hundley C- 2 for 4. BA= .246. Hundley started the rallying the 2'nd inning with a single. He is hitting .391 over his last 7 games.
Brandon Crawford SS- 3 for 4. BA= .259. Crawford is 5 for 8 in his last 2 starts after a long severe slump.
Aramis Garcia 1B- 1 for 4, HR(3). BA= .333. Garcia has alway had toonder in this bat. He showed it in the 8'th inning when Craig Stammen was pounding the low-outside corner with hard sinkers. Instead of trying to pull them, like a lot of young hitters would do, Garcia drove the ball the other way for a rare dinger by a RH batter to RF in Petco Park. Man! Kruk and Kuip could not, would not, stop raving about that!
Chris Stratton RHP- 1 for 1, 2B. BA= .143. Stratton's double in the 2'nd inning came with 2 outs and drove in 3 runs to give the Giants a short-lived 3-0 lead.
Chris Stratton RHP- 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.88. Stratton may have been still thinking about that double when he took the mound on the bottom of the 2'nd inning and promptly face-planted, giving up a walk, single, single, single, SF, Sac, HR, Single before recording an unproductive out to end the inning. He came back out to pitch a scoreless 3'rd inning before ironically being lifted for a PH in the top of the 4'th.
Ty Blach LHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.28. This was a better outing than it looks from the line. Blach retired the first 6 batters he faced then gave up a leadoff single in the 8'th to Eric Hosmer who beat the shift with a ground ball past 3B. That brought in Ray Black to face the fearsome Franmil Reyes who drew a walk. Black got Cory Spangenberg to strike out, but then Freddy Galvis sat on a 99 MPH and turned it around for a 3 run dinger that put the game away and turned that single Blach gave up into an ER.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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The Giants get a travel day to go to St Louis where Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to start Game 1 of the series Friday night against RHP John Gant. Remember Bummy left his last start early with tightness in his side.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Game Wrap 9/18/2018: Giants 5 Padres 4
Chris Shaw's 2-run single in the 8'th inning gave the Giants the lead and the bullpen hung on for the W. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(3), SB(5). BA= .215. Pence has had a terrible season, possibly the last of his career, almost certainly his last as a Giant, but this game brought back old memories as he drove in the Giants first 3 runs with 2-run homer in the 2'nd inning and run-scoring double in the 4'th.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1). BA= .219. Shaw hit a flyball single to LF with the bases loaded in the 8'th inning to drive in the tying and winning runs. After going 1 for his first 22, he is now 6 for 10 in his last 3 games. Stay hot, kid! Do the Giants have the stones to put their faith in a starting OF of Shaw, Duggar and Slater for 2019?
Derek Holland LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.57. I have a feeling Franmil Reyes is going to hit a ton of HR's in his career for the Padres. His 16'th was a 2-run bomb that ruined Holland's chances at a QS.
Bullpen- 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. Shaky outings for Hunter Strickland and Mark Melancon, but Will Smith recorded his 14'th Save and struck out the side on the 9'th.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby. They have now won 4 of their last 5 games. As long as kids like Chris Shaw are doing the winning, I don't mind them tanking the Tank Derby.
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Chris Stratton tries for the series swwweeeep tonight facing Robbie Erlin.
Hunter Pence RF- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(3), SB(5). BA= .215. Pence has had a terrible season, possibly the last of his career, almost certainly his last as a Giant, but this game brought back old memories as he drove in the Giants first 3 runs with 2-run homer in the 2'nd inning and run-scoring double in the 4'th.
Chris Shaw LF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(1). BA= .219. Shaw hit a flyball single to LF with the bases loaded in the 8'th inning to drive in the tying and winning runs. After going 1 for his first 22, he is now 6 for 10 in his last 3 games. Stay hot, kid! Do the Giants have the stones to put their faith in a starting OF of Shaw, Duggar and Slater for 2019?
Derek Holland LHP- 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.57. I have a feeling Franmil Reyes is going to hit a ton of HR's in his career for the Padres. His 16'th was a 2-run bomb that ruined Holland's chances at a QS.
Bullpen- 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K's. Shaky outings for Hunter Strickland and Mark Melancon, but Will Smith recorded his 14'th Save and struck out the side on the 9'th.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby. They have now won 4 of their last 5 games. As long as kids like Chris Shaw are doing the winning, I don't mind them tanking the Tank Derby.
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Chris Stratton tries for the series swwweeeep tonight facing Robbie Erlin.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Game Wrap 9/17/2018: Giants 4 Padres 2
The Giants broke out the long ball and got another Quality Start from a young pitcher. Key Lines:
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 5. BA= .256. Although he did not figure in the scoring, Panik continued his late drive to convince the Giants he is their 2B of the future. He is 9 for 20 over his last 7 games, all singles.
Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 4, HR(16). BA= .249. Add in the time he missed from the hand injury and Longoria would be looking at 20+ HR's. Couple that with getting used to the new ballpark and league and I'll say there's a good chance for a better 2019. He's slashing .286/.339/.482 for the month of August.
Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, HR(13). BA= .255. Crawford has scuffled in the second half hitting just 185 over his last 7 games, .189 over his last 15 and .170 over his last 30. His dinger in the 4'th inning got the Giants first run on the board.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 3. 2 2B. BA- .207. After going 1 for 22 to start his career, Shaw has gone 5 for 7 in his last 2 games.
Austin Slater RF- 0 for 4. BA= .262. Rough day at the plate, but Slater uncorked a big league right-fielder's throw to nab Franmil Reyes trying for a double in the 6'th inning. Slater and Brandon Crawford had fun discussing the throw in the dugout in the Giants half of the 7'th inning.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 7. 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 4.24. Suarez allowed just 1 run through 7.2 IP. Then Bochy curiously took Suarez out of the game with a runner on 1B despite a pitch count of just 87. Mark Melancon came in and allowed the inherited runner to score after a walk to Franmil Reyes and a Hunter Renfroe single. Tony Watson had to come in and retire Eric Hosmer to end the threat. It looked like Suarez approached Bochy in the dugout and asked him why he was taken out. It looked like Boch gave him an explanation and they were both good with it.
Fun with numbers: Suarez' monthly ERA's are 6.75 in April, 5.46 in May, 2.62 in June, 3.94 in July, 4.41 in August and 4.58 in September. BUT, his ERA is also 3.19 over his last 7 Starts, 4.09 over his last 15 and 4.7 over his full 27 on the season.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Derek Holland goes against lefty Joey Lucchesi in Game 2 of the series tonight.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 5. BA= .256. Although he did not figure in the scoring, Panik continued his late drive to convince the Giants he is their 2B of the future. He is 9 for 20 over his last 7 games, all singles.
Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 4, HR(16). BA= .249. Add in the time he missed from the hand injury and Longoria would be looking at 20+ HR's. Couple that with getting used to the new ballpark and league and I'll say there's a good chance for a better 2019. He's slashing .286/.339/.482 for the month of August.
Brandon Crawford SS- 2 for 4, HR(13). BA= .255. Crawford has scuffled in the second half hitting just 185 over his last 7 games, .189 over his last 15 and .170 over his last 30. His dinger in the 4'th inning got the Giants first run on the board.
Chris Shaw LF- 3 for 3. 2 2B. BA- .207. After going 1 for 22 to start his career, Shaw has gone 5 for 7 in his last 2 games.
Austin Slater RF- 0 for 4. BA= .262. Rough day at the plate, but Slater uncorked a big league right-fielder's throw to nab Franmil Reyes trying for a double in the 6'th inning. Slater and Brandon Crawford had fun discussing the throw in the dugout in the Giants half of the 7'th inning.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 7. 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 4.24. Suarez allowed just 1 run through 7.2 IP. Then Bochy curiously took Suarez out of the game with a runner on 1B despite a pitch count of just 87. Mark Melancon came in and allowed the inherited runner to score after a walk to Franmil Reyes and a Hunter Renfroe single. Tony Watson had to come in and retire Eric Hosmer to end the threat. It looked like Suarez approached Bochy in the dugout and asked him why he was taken out. It looked like Boch gave him an explanation and they were both good with it.
Fun with numbers: Suarez' monthly ERA's are 6.75 in April, 5.46 in May, 2.62 in June, 3.94 in July, 4.41 in August and 4.58 in September. BUT, his ERA is also 3.19 over his last 7 Starts, 4.09 over his last 15 and 4.7 over his full 27 on the season.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Derek Holland goes against lefty Joey Lucchesi in Game 2 of the series tonight.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Game Wrap 9/16/2018: Rockies 3 Giants 2
The Giants scored 2 earned runs to the Rockies 1, but an error by 1B Austin Slater led to 2 unearned runs to avoided the Giants sweep. Key Lines:
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3, BB, SB(4). BA= .254. The first 2 hitters in the Giants lineup, Gregor Blanco and Joe Panik, reached base 5 times in 8 PA's and they each stole a base. Can't set the table much better than that! Panik is 8 for 19(.421) over his last 7 games, all singles.
Austin Slater 1B- 1 for 4. BA= .268. Slater drove in one of the Giants runs, but made the error that led to 2 by the Rockies. If you believe in UZR, Slater has struggled on D at 1B but is a solid defensive OF.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4. BA= .115. Shaw was 1 for 22 with a HR coming in. He got 2 singles to raise his BA by .070.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.30. 3 Starts in September, 1.47 ERA as Young Dereck continues to impress.
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The Giants remained in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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The Giants go on the road with Andrew Suarez facing Bryan Mitchell in San Diego tomorrow night.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3, BB, SB(4). BA= .254. The first 2 hitters in the Giants lineup, Gregor Blanco and Joe Panik, reached base 5 times in 8 PA's and they each stole a base. Can't set the table much better than that! Panik is 8 for 19(.421) over his last 7 games, all singles.
Austin Slater 1B- 1 for 4. BA= .268. Slater drove in one of the Giants runs, but made the error that led to 2 by the Rockies. If you believe in UZR, Slater has struggled on D at 1B but is a solid defensive OF.
Chris Shaw LF- 2 for 4. BA= .115. Shaw was 1 for 22 with a HR coming in. He got 2 singles to raise his BA by .070.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 2.30. 3 Starts in September, 1.47 ERA as Young Dereck continues to impress.
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The Giants remained in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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The Giants go on the road with Andrew Suarez facing Bryan Mitchell in San Diego tomorrow night.
Game Wrap 9/15/2018: Giants 3 Rockies 0
Madison Bumgarner pitched 6 shutout innings and combined with 3 relievers to give the Giants their 2'nd shutout in a row. Key Lines:
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 3, HBP. BA= .251. Longoria has put on a bit of a surge her in September hitting .346 over his last 7 games and .299 over his last 15. He also made a nice play on a hot smash to rob Matt Holliday of a likely double to get the first out of the 9'th inning.
Nick Hundley C- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .243. Hundley followed Brandon Crawford's leadoff single in the 2'nd inning with a double. Those runners were cashed in with a groundout by Austin Slater and a flyball single by Hunter Pence to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 1 for 2, 2B. BA= .154. Bumgarner led off the 3'rd inning with a double and eventually scored on a Wild Pitch.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 3.14. Bummy left the game after just 64 pitches due to "tightness" in his side. You know, I was thinking to myself earlier today, "why is Madison Bumgarner still pitching? There are 3 things that can come of it: 1. He can pitch good, which does not really help the Giants. 2. He can pitch badly, which hurts any potential trade value. 3. He can get injured." Shut Bummy down! Giants are better off in the long run seeing what Casey Kelly or Tyler Herb or someone else can do with a few late season Starts.
Tony Watson LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.74. This was Tony Watson's 3'rd consecutive hitless, scoreless appearance. As you can see from the 3 K's, his stuff looked nasty! He is under contract next year for $3.5 M with a $2.5 M player option for 2020($500 K buyout). That looks about right. Giants can either keep him at a nice price or he could have trade value.
Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.67. Melancon is finally looking like the pitcher the Giants thought they signed to be their Closer for 4 years. He's been steadily chipping away at his ERA: 1.42 over his last 7 appearances, 1.80 over his last 15 and 2.51 over his last 30. He has 2 years left on the contract. I expect to see him closing games again before it's done.
Will Smith LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Save(12). ERA= 1.84. Smith seems to be back on track after a few rough appearances with a 1.35 ERA over his last 7 appearances. He's been the Giants Closer since June 29. The Giants just have not given him many Save opportunities.
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With the Win, the Giants lost ground in the Tank Derby falling back into 12'th place in next year's draft.
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Young Dereck Rodriguez had a tough subpar Start in Coors Field. AT&T Park can be hitter-friendly in the daytime, especially in September. He'll try for another QS today facing Antonio Senzatela.
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 3, HBP. BA= .251. Longoria has put on a bit of a surge her in September hitting .346 over his last 7 games and .299 over his last 15. He also made a nice play on a hot smash to rob Matt Holliday of a likely double to get the first out of the 9'th inning.
Nick Hundley C- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .243. Hundley followed Brandon Crawford's leadoff single in the 2'nd inning with a double. Those runners were cashed in with a groundout by Austin Slater and a flyball single by Hunter Pence to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 1 for 2, 2B. BA= .154. Bumgarner led off the 3'rd inning with a double and eventually scored on a Wild Pitch.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 10/2. ERA= 3.14. Bummy left the game after just 64 pitches due to "tightness" in his side. You know, I was thinking to myself earlier today, "why is Madison Bumgarner still pitching? There are 3 things that can come of it: 1. He can pitch good, which does not really help the Giants. 2. He can pitch badly, which hurts any potential trade value. 3. He can get injured." Shut Bummy down! Giants are better off in the long run seeing what Casey Kelly or Tyler Herb or someone else can do with a few late season Starts.
Tony Watson LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.74. This was Tony Watson's 3'rd consecutive hitless, scoreless appearance. As you can see from the 3 K's, his stuff looked nasty! He is under contract next year for $3.5 M with a $2.5 M player option for 2020($500 K buyout). That looks about right. Giants can either keep him at a nice price or he could have trade value.
Mark Melancon RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.67. Melancon is finally looking like the pitcher the Giants thought they signed to be their Closer for 4 years. He's been steadily chipping away at his ERA: 1.42 over his last 7 appearances, 1.80 over his last 15 and 2.51 over his last 30. He has 2 years left on the contract. I expect to see him closing games again before it's done.
Will Smith LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. Save(12). ERA= 1.84. Smith seems to be back on track after a few rough appearances with a 1.35 ERA over his last 7 appearances. He's been the Giants Closer since June 29. The Giants just have not given him many Save opportunities.
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With the Win, the Giants lost ground in the Tank Derby falling back into 12'th place in next year's draft.
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Young Dereck Rodriguez had a tough subpar Start in Coors Field. AT&T Park can be hitter-friendly in the daytime, especially in September. He'll try for another QS today facing Antonio Senzatela.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Game Wrap 9/14/2018: Giants 2 Rockies 0
Chris Stratton pitched the first Complete Game Shutout of his career to break the Giants 11 game losing streak. Key Lines:
Nick Hundley C- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .243. Hundley's single in the second inning started the Giants 2 run rally. He got picked off 2B after his 1-out double in the 6'th inning. Not sure what he was thinking out there.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3. BA= .243. Panik is 5 for 8 over his last 2 games, all singles, and is hitting .333 over his last 7. Here's the interesting one: He's hitting .288 over his last 30 games, but it's a bit of an empty .288 as his OPS for that span is only .668.
Austin Slater RF/1B- 1 for 3. BA= .271. After Hundley and Panik singled in the 2'nd inning, they moved up on a wild pitch by Tyler Anderson. Slater then came up and bounced a single up the middle to drive in both runners which capped the Giants scoring for the evening. Slater has been scuffling, hitting just .174 over his last 7 games and .245 over his last 30.
Chris Stratton RHP- 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 10/3. ERA= 4.66. This was Stratton's first CG shutout of his career. He allowed 2 baserunners in the 2'nd inning, otherwise was in complete command. Although he got a few hard-hit outs, he retired the last 12 batters he faced. His previous longest start came when he threw 8 innings of shutout ball in a Win over the D'Backs on 8/27. His ERA is 2.10 over his last 5 Starts. Stratton's ERA was 2.32 over his first 6 Starts of the season. In between it was 6.93. So, was the middle part of this season just a blip where he got thrown off stride by being a new dad and getting his mechanics out of whack? Can he pitch like his first 6 Starts and last 5 for a full season? Because that's an ace pitcher!
Ryan Vogelsong is a roving pitching instructor for the Giants now. He is credited with helping Stratton iron out a wrinkle in his mechanics and getting him back on track. I wonder if Vogey also had some talks with him about attitude? Even when he was going good, Stratton has not always had the most confident demeanor on the mound. Last night was different. Although he did not quite have Vogey's glare in his eyes or the flaring nostrils, there were times when I could swear it was Vogey out there on the mound, especially the way he walked toward the plate after each pitch to receive the throwback from the catcher then turn and march back up the mound. Yeah, the body language was pure Vogey!
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The Giants apparently passed the Mets for 11'th place in the Tank Derby on the Giants off day. Despite the Win, they held onto 11'th place by percentage points.
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Madison Bumgarner tries to refocus after his meltdown in Colorado facing German Marquez in a 6:00 PM game today.
Nick Hundley C- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .243. Hundley's single in the second inning started the Giants 2 run rally. He got picked off 2B after his 1-out double in the 6'th inning. Not sure what he was thinking out there.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 3. BA= .243. Panik is 5 for 8 over his last 2 games, all singles, and is hitting .333 over his last 7. Here's the interesting one: He's hitting .288 over his last 30 games, but it's a bit of an empty .288 as his OPS for that span is only .668.
Austin Slater RF/1B- 1 for 3. BA= .271. After Hundley and Panik singled in the 2'nd inning, they moved up on a wild pitch by Tyler Anderson. Slater then came up and bounced a single up the middle to drive in both runners which capped the Giants scoring for the evening. Slater has been scuffling, hitting just .174 over his last 7 games and .245 over his last 30.
Chris Stratton RHP- 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 10/3. ERA= 4.66. This was Stratton's first CG shutout of his career. He allowed 2 baserunners in the 2'nd inning, otherwise was in complete command. Although he got a few hard-hit outs, he retired the last 12 batters he faced. His previous longest start came when he threw 8 innings of shutout ball in a Win over the D'Backs on 8/27. His ERA is 2.10 over his last 5 Starts. Stratton's ERA was 2.32 over his first 6 Starts of the season. In between it was 6.93. So, was the middle part of this season just a blip where he got thrown off stride by being a new dad and getting his mechanics out of whack? Can he pitch like his first 6 Starts and last 5 for a full season? Because that's an ace pitcher!
Ryan Vogelsong is a roving pitching instructor for the Giants now. He is credited with helping Stratton iron out a wrinkle in his mechanics and getting him back on track. I wonder if Vogey also had some talks with him about attitude? Even when he was going good, Stratton has not always had the most confident demeanor on the mound. Last night was different. Although he did not quite have Vogey's glare in his eyes or the flaring nostrils, there were times when I could swear it was Vogey out there on the mound, especially the way he walked toward the plate after each pitch to receive the throwback from the catcher then turn and march back up the mound. Yeah, the body language was pure Vogey!
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The Giants apparently passed the Mets for 11'th place in the Tank Derby on the Giants off day. Despite the Win, they held onto 11'th place by percentage points.
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Madison Bumgarner tries to refocus after his meltdown in Colorado facing German Marquez in a 6:00 PM game today.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Down on the Farm: San Jose Giants 2018 Season Review
The San Jose Giants suffered through their worst season in recent memory and tell me if this sounds familiar. They were a respectable 34-36 in the first half but collapsed to a 25-45 record in the second half to finish with the worst overall record in the California League at 59-81. Here are your 2018 Team Leaders:
BA(200+ AB): Heath Quinn- .300. Johneshwy Fargas- .288. Wander Franco(The Elder)- .277. Jalen Miller- .276.
Hits: Wander Franco- 143. Jalen Miller- 141. Bryce Johnson- 110. Heath Quinn- 107. Jacob Heyward- 105.
2B: Wander Franco- 39. Jalen Miller- 35. Jacob Heyward- 26.
3B: Bryce Johnson- 6. Gio Brusa- 5. Matt Winn- 3. Frandy De La Rosa- 3.
HR: Gio Brusa- 19. Jalen Miller- 14. Heath Quinn- 14.
SB: Johneshwy Fargas- 47. Bryce Johnson- 31. Jacob Heyward- 14.
Runs: Jalen Miller- 73. Gio Brusa- 62. Bryce Johnson- 62. Jacob Heyward- 61.
RBI's: Gio Brusa- 70. Wander Franco- 3B. Jalen Miller- 62.
IP: Sandro Cabrera- 101.1. DJ Myers- 96. 1. Carlos Sano- 87.1.
K's: DJ Myers- 94. Sandro Cabrera- 85. Carlos Sano-85. Raffi Vizcaino- 85.
Starter ERA(50+ IP): Logan Webb- 1.82. Carlos Sano- 3.81. Dominic Mazza- 4.52.
Reliever ERA(25+ IP): Dylan Rheault- 2.43. Nolan Riggs- 4.08. Peter Lannoo- 4.19.
K/9(25+ IP): Conner Menez- 12.52. Logan Webb- 9.00. DJ Myers- 8.78.
BB/9(25+ IP): DJ Myers- 2.06. Frank Rubio- 2.32. Connor Overton- 2.52.
K/BB(25+ IP): DJ Myers- 4.27. Conner Menez- 3.33. Connor Overton- 3.29.
Saves: Frank Rubio- 9. Patrick Ruotolo- 6. Nolan Riggs- 6.
Promotions(to higher levels): Logan Webb, Matt Winn, Conner Menez, Patrick Ruotolo, Jacob Heyward(late to AAA).
Promotions(from lower levels): Frank Rubio, John Gavin.
2019? Sandro Fabian(hit just .200 in his first shot at the Cal League at age 20 but hit 19 2B and 10 HR), Johneswhy Fargas? Melvin Adon? Sandro Cabrera? Norwith Gudino? Joey Bart, Sean Hjelle, Jacob Wong, Manuel Geraldo, Heliot Ramos? Camilo Doval, Juan De Paula? Orlando Garcia? Logan Baldwin? David Villar.
Burning Question: Can Melvin Adon ever gain enough command/control of his elite stuff to fulfill his potential?
BA(200+ AB): Heath Quinn- .300. Johneshwy Fargas- .288. Wander Franco(The Elder)- .277. Jalen Miller- .276.
Hits: Wander Franco- 143. Jalen Miller- 141. Bryce Johnson- 110. Heath Quinn- 107. Jacob Heyward- 105.
2B: Wander Franco- 39. Jalen Miller- 35. Jacob Heyward- 26.
3B: Bryce Johnson- 6. Gio Brusa- 5. Matt Winn- 3. Frandy De La Rosa- 3.
HR: Gio Brusa- 19. Jalen Miller- 14. Heath Quinn- 14.
SB: Johneshwy Fargas- 47. Bryce Johnson- 31. Jacob Heyward- 14.
Runs: Jalen Miller- 73. Gio Brusa- 62. Bryce Johnson- 62. Jacob Heyward- 61.
RBI's: Gio Brusa- 70. Wander Franco- 3B. Jalen Miller- 62.
IP: Sandro Cabrera- 101.1. DJ Myers- 96. 1. Carlos Sano- 87.1.
K's: DJ Myers- 94. Sandro Cabrera- 85. Carlos Sano-85. Raffi Vizcaino- 85.
Starter ERA(50+ IP): Logan Webb- 1.82. Carlos Sano- 3.81. Dominic Mazza- 4.52.
Reliever ERA(25+ IP): Dylan Rheault- 2.43. Nolan Riggs- 4.08. Peter Lannoo- 4.19.
K/9(25+ IP): Conner Menez- 12.52. Logan Webb- 9.00. DJ Myers- 8.78.
BB/9(25+ IP): DJ Myers- 2.06. Frank Rubio- 2.32. Connor Overton- 2.52.
K/BB(25+ IP): DJ Myers- 4.27. Conner Menez- 3.33. Connor Overton- 3.29.
Saves: Frank Rubio- 9. Patrick Ruotolo- 6. Nolan Riggs- 6.
Promotions(to higher levels): Logan Webb, Matt Winn, Conner Menez, Patrick Ruotolo, Jacob Heyward(late to AAA).
Promotions(from lower levels): Frank Rubio, John Gavin.
2019? Sandro Fabian(hit just .200 in his first shot at the Cal League at age 20 but hit 19 2B and 10 HR), Johneswhy Fargas? Melvin Adon? Sandro Cabrera? Norwith Gudino? Joey Bart, Sean Hjelle, Jacob Wong, Manuel Geraldo, Heliot Ramos? Camilo Doval, Juan De Paula? Orlando Garcia? Logan Baldwin? David Villar.
Burning Question: Can Melvin Adon ever gain enough command/control of his elite stuff to fulfill his potential?
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Game Wrap 9/12/2018: Braves 2 Giants 1
Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Giants got a Quality Start from Derek Holland but could not capitalize due to a lack of run support. Key Lines:
Joe Panik 2B- 3 for 5. BA= .248. The Giants got multi-hit games from 3 players, but those were the only Giants players to get hits. Panik led the way with 3 hits out of the leadoff position. We have not seen enough of that from Panik this season. He did score the only giants run of the game int the 3'rd inning.
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .248. Longo drove in the lone Giants run and reached base 4 times. We have not seen him do this enough either. He is hitting .333 over his last 7 games. Nick Hundley was the other Giants player with multiple hits. He did not figure in the scoring.
Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.46. Holland's remarkable season continues. 4'th QS in a row. His ERA is 2.23 over his last 7 games and 2.31 over his last 15. How much will he cost to re-sign with the Giants? Do you trust him to sustain this success next season?
Jeremie Rehak 1B Ump- With a runner at 3B and 2 outs in the 9'th inning, Evan Longoria fielded a hot grounder that spun him around. The throw to 1B was in time but a bit short. Belt had to strrrretch for it and the ump ruled his foot was off the bag. Replay was inconclusive but looked like he probably kept his toe on the bag juuuust long enough. The call stood, run scored, game lost. It really should not have decided the game as the Giants should have been able to generate more than 1 run out of 7 hits and 7 BB's.
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The Giants 11'th loss in a row set a San Francisco era record. It also kept them in 12'th place in the Tank Derby but they are closing in on the Mets and Twins for 10'th place.
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The Giants get a day off at home to regroup tomorrow. Chris Stratton tries to break the losing streak on Friday against the Rockies facing TBD.
Joe Panik 2B- 3 for 5. BA= .248. The Giants got multi-hit games from 3 players, but those were the only Giants players to get hits. Panik led the way with 3 hits out of the leadoff position. We have not seen enough of that from Panik this season. He did score the only giants run of the game int the 3'rd inning.
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .248. Longo drove in the lone Giants run and reached base 4 times. We have not seen him do this enough either. He is hitting .333 over his last 7 games. Nick Hundley was the other Giants player with multiple hits. He did not figure in the scoring.
Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.46. Holland's remarkable season continues. 4'th QS in a row. His ERA is 2.23 over his last 7 games and 2.31 over his last 15. How much will he cost to re-sign with the Giants? Do you trust him to sustain this success next season?
Jeremie Rehak 1B Ump- With a runner at 3B and 2 outs in the 9'th inning, Evan Longoria fielded a hot grounder that spun him around. The throw to 1B was in time but a bit short. Belt had to strrrretch for it and the ump ruled his foot was off the bag. Replay was inconclusive but looked like he probably kept his toe on the bag juuuust long enough. The call stood, run scored, game lost. It really should not have decided the game as the Giants should have been able to generate more than 1 run out of 7 hits and 7 BB's.
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The Giants 11'th loss in a row set a San Francisco era record. It also kept them in 12'th place in the Tank Derby but they are closing in on the Mets and Twins for 10'th place.
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The Giants get a day off at home to regroup tomorrow. Chris Stratton tries to break the losing streak on Friday against the Rockies facing TBD.
Game Wrap 9/11/2018: Braves 4 Giants 1
Same song 10'th verse, could get better but it's gonna get worse..... It was the familiar storyline for this game as Andrew Suarez had a Quality Start but the Giants failed to provide runs and chalked up their 10'th consecutive loss, tying a team record in the San Francisco era. The Giants have had some pretty bad teams in the San Francisco era, which does give this some perspective. Key Lines:
Austin Slater 1B- 0 for 4, E(3). Slater tried to backhand a ball in the 3'rd inning and muffed it for an error. It was not a routine play. More in the "likely" category. Later he saved the inning with a nice recovery on a ball hit by Freddie Freeman that took a bad hop. Just for the record, Slater has a slightly negative UZR at 1B but is strongly positive at all 3 OF positions, all SSS's.
Chris Shaw LF- 0 for 3. BA= 0.50. Shaw probably needs at least a half-season more AB's in AAA but I'm OK with him getting MLB looks this month as the season is way beyond lost anyway. Shaw made a nice running catch of a slicing liner in the 4'th inning but then ran about 10 yards before unleashing a weak throw as Nick Markakis waltzed home with the Braves first run. I guess how that play would affect Shaw's UZR would depend on how likely the observer thought Markakis was to score on it. If his chances were 100%, the stroll Shaw took after the catch may be poor form, but it didn't matter. I guess I would rate the chances of a successful throw as "remote" which is in the 1-10% range.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/1. ERA= 4.33. This was Suarez' 10'th QS out of 25. That ratio should be more like 15 out of 25, but he's had 3 other games where he went at least 5 IP with 2 or fewer runs allowed. His ERA is 3.63 over his last 7 Starts, 4.08 over his last 15 and 4.33 over the full 25, so he has gotten stronger over the course of the season. It is probably as safe to pencil him into next year's rotation as any pitcher.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Okert is probably not someone the Giants want to release over the offseason based on his record in AAA and since being called up.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Derek Holland triest to break the losing streak this afternoon against the resurgent Anibal Sanchez.
Austin Slater 1B- 0 for 4, E(3). Slater tried to backhand a ball in the 3'rd inning and muffed it for an error. It was not a routine play. More in the "likely" category. Later he saved the inning with a nice recovery on a ball hit by Freddie Freeman that took a bad hop. Just for the record, Slater has a slightly negative UZR at 1B but is strongly positive at all 3 OF positions, all SSS's.
Chris Shaw LF- 0 for 3. BA= 0.50. Shaw probably needs at least a half-season more AB's in AAA but I'm OK with him getting MLB looks this month as the season is way beyond lost anyway. Shaw made a nice running catch of a slicing liner in the 4'th inning but then ran about 10 yards before unleashing a weak throw as Nick Markakis waltzed home with the Braves first run. I guess how that play would affect Shaw's UZR would depend on how likely the observer thought Markakis was to score on it. If his chances were 100%, the stroll Shaw took after the catch may be poor form, but it didn't matter. I guess I would rate the chances of a successful throw as "remote" which is in the 1-10% range.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 12/1. ERA= 4.33. This was Suarez' 10'th QS out of 25. That ratio should be more like 15 out of 25, but he's had 3 other games where he went at least 5 IP with 2 or fewer runs allowed. His ERA is 3.63 over his last 7 Starts, 4.08 over his last 15 and 4.33 over the full 25, so he has gotten stronger over the course of the season. It is probably as safe to pencil him into next year's rotation as any pitcher.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Okert is probably not someone the Giants want to release over the offseason based on his record in AAA and since being called up.
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The Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Derek Holland triest to break the losing streak this afternoon against the resurgent Anibal Sanchez.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Game Wrap 9/10/2018: Braves 4 Giants 1
Sean Newcomb has not been very good for the last month or so. I know because he's on my fantasy team. The Giants managed just 3 hits off him in 6 innings and Young Dereck Rodriguez was saddled with a Loss in spite of his 10'th Quality Start out of his last 11. Key Lines:
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6. 1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.35. It's tough to win when you get no run support. Right now, the Giants are not capable of providing run support. At Young Dereck and the bullpen kept it close until Hunter Strickland showed up with his gas can in the 9'th inning to put it out of reach.
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The Giants lost their 9'th game in a row. Final standings for the night are not in, but I am pretty sure the Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Andrew Suarez tries to polish up his resume for next season tomorrow evening facing Mike Foltynewicz.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6. 1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.35. It's tough to win when you get no run support. Right now, the Giants are not capable of providing run support. At Young Dereck and the bullpen kept it close until Hunter Strickland showed up with his gas can in the 9'th inning to put it out of reach.
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The Giants lost their 9'th game in a row. Final standings for the night are not in, but I am pretty sure the Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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Andrew Suarez tries to polish up his resume for next season tomorrow evening facing Mike Foltynewicz.
Game Wrap 9/9/2018: Brewers 6 Giants 3
The Giants lost a winnable game when Madison Bumgarner allowed himself to get distracted by the unwritten rules of the game which likely caused him to serve up a home run pitch to Jonathan Schoop with the bases loaded. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco LF- 1 for 2, HR(2), SF. BA= .241. Blanco homered to lead off the game and later drove in a second run with a SF. He was the hitting star for the Giants in this game but Gregor is hitting just .214 over his last 7 games, .174 over his last 15 and .192 over his last 30.
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .279. Slater drove in the final Giants run with a line drive triple to RF in the 8'th inning.
Ryder Jones 1B- 0 for 1. BA= .375. Jones dislocated his patella when he swung hard at a pitch that he fouled off. He had to leave the game and will miss the rest of the season. Yeah, the injury curse strikes again! This is the second time Jones has suffered this injury in his career, the last coming in 2015.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.30. OK, here we go. Bummy allowed a run in the bottom of the first inning, then retired 15 batters in a row, including the first 2 of the 6'th inning. That's when things started to get a bit weird. Christian Yelich, a LH batter, drew a walk followed by a line drive single by Jesus Aguilar. That brought Ryan Braun to the plate. Now earlier in the game, Braun had twice demonstrated some frustration with himself for coming up short of HR's, which is something we all know certain Giants players including the MadBum don't appreciate. I believe it's called not respecting the game.
Now, maybe Bummy figured that with 2 outs and an open base, he'd rather face Jonathan Schoop anyway. Or maybe with the Giants clearly out of the pennant race and having traded away Andrew McCutchen, he just didn't have any $@*&'s left to give. Or maybe the ball just got away from him. Whatever the case, Bum threw 2 pitches very close to Ryan Braun and hit him with the 3'rd. Braun and Bummy had a few things to say to each other from a distance and then the benches slowly emptied and a slow motion baseball brawl broke out with 3 Brewers getting ejected.
That brought up the disrespected Jonathan Schoop who can run into one once in a while which he promptly did, and with the bases loaded, to put this game away. Schoop essentially walked around the bases so as to let Bummy wear it for awhile and the Brewers dugout emptied again to greet him at home plate. Pretty much of an embarrassment for Bummy and the Giants all the way around!
Gotta love what Madison Bumgarner has given the Giants and us fans over the years but this is not the first time the ol' testosterone factory as clouded his judgment and cost the Giants a game, or maybe a couple of months. Come to think of it, that bike accident might have cost them a whole season!
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Despite the Loss, the Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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The Giants now return to AT&T Park with Young Dereck Rodriguez facing the Braves and lefty Sean Newcomb who has had his own struggles lately.
Gregor Blanco LF- 1 for 2, HR(2), SF. BA= .241. Blanco homered to lead off the game and later drove in a second run with a SF. He was the hitting star for the Giants in this game but Gregor is hitting just .214 over his last 7 games, .174 over his last 15 and .192 over his last 30.
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .279. Slater drove in the final Giants run with a line drive triple to RF in the 8'th inning.
Ryder Jones 1B- 0 for 1. BA= .375. Jones dislocated his patella when he swung hard at a pitch that he fouled off. He had to leave the game and will miss the rest of the season. Yeah, the injury curse strikes again! This is the second time Jones has suffered this injury in his career, the last coming in 2015.
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.30. OK, here we go. Bummy allowed a run in the bottom of the first inning, then retired 15 batters in a row, including the first 2 of the 6'th inning. That's when things started to get a bit weird. Christian Yelich, a LH batter, drew a walk followed by a line drive single by Jesus Aguilar. That brought Ryan Braun to the plate. Now earlier in the game, Braun had twice demonstrated some frustration with himself for coming up short of HR's, which is something we all know certain Giants players including the MadBum don't appreciate. I believe it's called not respecting the game.
Now, maybe Bummy figured that with 2 outs and an open base, he'd rather face Jonathan Schoop anyway. Or maybe with the Giants clearly out of the pennant race and having traded away Andrew McCutchen, he just didn't have any $@*&'s left to give. Or maybe the ball just got away from him. Whatever the case, Bum threw 2 pitches very close to Ryan Braun and hit him with the 3'rd. Braun and Bummy had a few things to say to each other from a distance and then the benches slowly emptied and a slow motion baseball brawl broke out with 3 Brewers getting ejected.
That brought up the disrespected Jonathan Schoop who can run into one once in a while which he promptly did, and with the bases loaded, to put this game away. Schoop essentially walked around the bases so as to let Bummy wear it for awhile and the Brewers dugout emptied again to greet him at home plate. Pretty much of an embarrassment for Bummy and the Giants all the way around!
Gotta love what Madison Bumgarner has given the Giants and us fans over the years but this is not the first time the ol' testosterone factory as clouded his judgment and cost the Giants a game, or maybe a couple of months. Come to think of it, that bike accident might have cost them a whole season!
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Despite the Loss, the Giants remain in 12'th place in the Tank Derby.
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The Giants now return to AT&T Park with Young Dereck Rodriguez facing the Braves and lefty Sean Newcomb who has had his own struggles lately.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Down on the Farm: Richmond Flying Squirrels 2018 Season Review
It was a rough season for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels as they finished with the worst record in the entire Eastern League at 62-76. An overlooked narrative of the Giants organization is that between the 2017 draft which featured 3 HS players at the top and an infusion of younger international talent, the lower levels of the minor league system have gotten younger and more athletic while older talent has risen to the the AAA and MLB level which has left a talent "donut hole" in the mid-levels. The 2018 Flying Squirrels would be exhibit A of this "donut hole" as the team as almost devoid of true prospects both in the hitting and pitching ranks.
Here's another reminder that the EL in general and Richmond in particular are pitcher-friendly environments. Both hitting and pitching stats must be interpreted in this light:
BA(200+ AB): Caleb Gindl- .304. Ryan Howard- .273. Luigi Rodriguez- .271. CJ Hinjosa- .261.
HR: Luigi Rodriguez- 14. Jerry Sands- 13. Dylan Davis- 13. Aramis Garcia- 11.
SB: Matt Lipka- 21. Luigi Rodriguez- 15. Ronnie Jebavy- 10. Ryan Howard- 9.
2B: Ryan Howard- 32. Dylan Davis- 27. Jerry Sands- 24. Jonah Arenado- 20.
3B: Luigi Rodriguez- 5. Matt Lipka- 5. Ryan Howard, Ali Castillo, Miguel Gomez- 4.
Runs: Luigi Rodriguez- 54. Dylan Davis- 49. Matt Lipka- 47. Ryan Howard- 44.
RBI: Dylan Davis- 55. Luigi Rodriguez- 51. Ryan Howard- 50.
IP: Jake McCasland- 106.1. Shaun Anderson- 94. Garrett Williams- 81.2. Jordan Johnson- 79.1.
SP ERA(50+ IP): Shaun Anderson- 3.45. Jordan Johnson- 3.63. Chase Johnson- 3.86. Cory Taylor- 3.95.
RP ERA(25+IP): Dillon McNamara- 1.20. Caleb Simpson- 1.53. Dusten Knight- 2.27. Patrick Ruotolo- 2.42.
Saves: Caleb Simpson- 10. Dillon McNamara- 7. Sam Wolff- 5.
K's: Shaun Anderson- 93. Conner Menez- 92. Jordan Johnson- 77.
K/9(25+ IP): Sam Wolff- 12.51. Patrick Ruotolo- 12.46. Caleb Simpson- 11.35. Conner Menez- 11.19.
BB/9(25+ IP): Dillon McNamara- 1.60. Taylor Hill- 1.92. Shaun Anderson- 2.11.
K/BB(25+ IP): Dillon McNamara- 6.25. Shaun Anderson- 4.23. Patrick Ruotolo- 3.60.
Promotions to AA: Aramis Garcia, Shaun Anderson, Ray Black.
Promotions from A+: Patrick Ruotolo, Logan Webb, Matt Winn.
Top Prospects: Logan Webb, Shaun Anderson, Aramis Garcia, Ryan Howard, CJ Hinojosa.
2019?: Heath Quinn, Jalen Miller, Johneshwy Fargas?, Wander Franco The Elder?, Jacob Heyward?, Matt Winn, Gio Brusa?, Carlos Sano, Logan Webb, Domenic Mazza, DJ Myers?, Melvin Adon?
Possibly the best storyline from the 2018 Flying Squirrels season was minor league FA Luigi Rodriguez. He is a 25 yo OF B-L, T-R, small and wiry. He hit for average and power with speed on the bases. His numbers tailed off in the second half, but here's rooting for the Giants to re-sign him and give him a shot in Sacramento. He seems like he could put up Alen Hanson type numbers in a reserve OF role someday.
Burning Question: Can Garrett Williams recover from the setback in his control/command?
Here's another reminder that the EL in general and Richmond in particular are pitcher-friendly environments. Both hitting and pitching stats must be interpreted in this light:
BA(200+ AB): Caleb Gindl- .304. Ryan Howard- .273. Luigi Rodriguez- .271. CJ Hinjosa- .261.
HR: Luigi Rodriguez- 14. Jerry Sands- 13. Dylan Davis- 13. Aramis Garcia- 11.
SB: Matt Lipka- 21. Luigi Rodriguez- 15. Ronnie Jebavy- 10. Ryan Howard- 9.
2B: Ryan Howard- 32. Dylan Davis- 27. Jerry Sands- 24. Jonah Arenado- 20.
3B: Luigi Rodriguez- 5. Matt Lipka- 5. Ryan Howard, Ali Castillo, Miguel Gomez- 4.
Runs: Luigi Rodriguez- 54. Dylan Davis- 49. Matt Lipka- 47. Ryan Howard- 44.
RBI: Dylan Davis- 55. Luigi Rodriguez- 51. Ryan Howard- 50.
IP: Jake McCasland- 106.1. Shaun Anderson- 94. Garrett Williams- 81.2. Jordan Johnson- 79.1.
SP ERA(50+ IP): Shaun Anderson- 3.45. Jordan Johnson- 3.63. Chase Johnson- 3.86. Cory Taylor- 3.95.
RP ERA(25+IP): Dillon McNamara- 1.20. Caleb Simpson- 1.53. Dusten Knight- 2.27. Patrick Ruotolo- 2.42.
Saves: Caleb Simpson- 10. Dillon McNamara- 7. Sam Wolff- 5.
K's: Shaun Anderson- 93. Conner Menez- 92. Jordan Johnson- 77.
K/9(25+ IP): Sam Wolff- 12.51. Patrick Ruotolo- 12.46. Caleb Simpson- 11.35. Conner Menez- 11.19.
BB/9(25+ IP): Dillon McNamara- 1.60. Taylor Hill- 1.92. Shaun Anderson- 2.11.
K/BB(25+ IP): Dillon McNamara- 6.25. Shaun Anderson- 4.23. Patrick Ruotolo- 3.60.
Promotions to AA: Aramis Garcia, Shaun Anderson, Ray Black.
Promotions from A+: Patrick Ruotolo, Logan Webb, Matt Winn.
Top Prospects: Logan Webb, Shaun Anderson, Aramis Garcia, Ryan Howard, CJ Hinojosa.
2019?: Heath Quinn, Jalen Miller, Johneshwy Fargas?, Wander Franco The Elder?, Jacob Heyward?, Matt Winn, Gio Brusa?, Carlos Sano, Logan Webb, Domenic Mazza, DJ Myers?, Melvin Adon?
Possibly the best storyline from the 2018 Flying Squirrels season was minor league FA Luigi Rodriguez. He is a 25 yo OF B-L, T-R, small and wiry. He hit for average and power with speed on the bases. His numbers tailed off in the second half, but here's rooting for the Giants to re-sign him and give him a shot in Sacramento. He seems like he could put up Alen Hanson type numbers in a reserve OF role someday.
Burning Question: Can Garrett Williams recover from the setback in his control/command?
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Game Wrap 9/8/2018: Brewers 4 Giants 3
The Giants rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to make it close but were not able to completely close the gap for a 1-run loss. Key Lines:
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 3. BA= .280. Slater drove in the Giant first run on a contested play at the plate. Gregor Blanco started the rally by reaching on throwing error. Chase d'Arnaud grounded in to a force out but took 2B on a groundout by Kelby Tomlinson. Slater hit a grounder through the hole into LF and d'Arnaud was initially called out at the plate. The Giants challenged and the call was overturned. Not sure what the Giants record on challenge plays, but it's really good. Just for comparison, the Brewers are 5 for 22, which is really bad. They don't challenge very often and are usually unsuccessful then they do. Also, Austin Slater has the highest BA of any player on the Active Roster with more than 11 AB by a margin of .015.
Ryder Jones PH/1B- 1 for 1, HR(2). BA= .429. Jones PH for d'Arnaud after a single by Gregor Blanco. Jones hit a rocket into the R-CF bleachers. He is now 3 for 7 with 2 dingers. Jones hit .274 with 11 dingers on the season in Sacramento. Jones is a guy with tremendous power potential if he can just make enough contact.
Chris Stratton RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.99. Stratton didn't get blown out. It was more a case of not being able to stop the bleeding. A dinger here, a walk there, a double, another HR, it all added up to 4 runs in 5 IP and a non-QS. I guess we'll chalk it up to facing a very good lineup in a hitter-friendly ballpark, at least for now.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 0 for 2, 2 K. BA= .000. Forget the batting line. What really matters here is Avelino's stretching routine before an AB. Ch-ch-check it out on sfgiants.com.
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The Loss dropped the Giants record to 68-75, .476. They keep the 12'th worst record in MLB.
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Madison Bumgarner tries to salvage a win in the series and the road trip tomorrow facing RHP Zach Davies.
Austin Slater RF- 1 for 3. BA= .280. Slater drove in the Giant first run on a contested play at the plate. Gregor Blanco started the rally by reaching on throwing error. Chase d'Arnaud grounded in to a force out but took 2B on a groundout by Kelby Tomlinson. Slater hit a grounder through the hole into LF and d'Arnaud was initially called out at the plate. The Giants challenged and the call was overturned. Not sure what the Giants record on challenge plays, but it's really good. Just for comparison, the Brewers are 5 for 22, which is really bad. They don't challenge very often and are usually unsuccessful then they do. Also, Austin Slater has the highest BA of any player on the Active Roster with more than 11 AB by a margin of .015.
Ryder Jones PH/1B- 1 for 1, HR(2). BA= .429. Jones PH for d'Arnaud after a single by Gregor Blanco. Jones hit a rocket into the R-CF bleachers. He is now 3 for 7 with 2 dingers. Jones hit .274 with 11 dingers on the season in Sacramento. Jones is a guy with tremendous power potential if he can just make enough contact.
Chris Stratton RHP- 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.99. Stratton didn't get blown out. It was more a case of not being able to stop the bleeding. A dinger here, a walk there, a double, another HR, it all added up to 4 runs in 5 IP and a non-QS. I guess we'll chalk it up to facing a very good lineup in a hitter-friendly ballpark, at least for now.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 0 for 2, 2 K. BA= .000. Forget the batting line. What really matters here is Avelino's stretching routine before an AB. Ch-ch-check it out on sfgiants.com.
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The Loss dropped the Giants record to 68-75, .476. They keep the 12'th worst record in MLB.
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Madison Bumgarner tries to salvage a win in the series and the road trip tomorrow facing RHP Zach Davies.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Game Wrap 9/7/2018: Brewers 4 Giants 2
The Giants got another Quality Start and lost another game. Pretty familiar story line for the season. Key Lines:
Alen Hanson SS- 2 for 3, HR(8), SB(7). BA= .267. Projected to 600 PA, Alen Hanson's counting stats would be 35 2B, 11 3B, 18 HR, 15 SB, 75 R, 86 RBI. That's dynamic player! He's still just 25 yo he could be still a season or two from his peak.
Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.54. The only hits Derek Holland allowed in the game came in the first inning. Unfortunately one was a 2-run HR to Ryan Braun. Ironically, none of his 5 BB's figured in any of the scoring.
Holland is pitching for a contract and with each game, his payday is looking sweeter. This was his 3'rd QS in a row. He has a 2.50 ERA over his last 7 appearances and a 2.66 over his last 15. He leads the team in IP(152.2), K's(152) and Starts(27).
Hunter Strickland RHP- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K. ERA= 3.46. Strick is in a rough patch manifested by an ERA of 5.68 over is last 7 appearances and 5.54 over his last 15. Tonight, he walked 2 of 3 batters he faced and then Tony Watson, who is scuffling himself, allowed both runners to score on a double. Watson has an ERA of 9.00 in 6 IP over his last 7 appearances.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00. I did not realize that Okert had not appeared in a Giants game this season before his September call up. He actually had an interesting season for the Sacramento River Cats. His ERA of 4.55 was not impressive but he had 43 K's and just 8 BB's in 31.2 IP.
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The Giants maintain the 12'th worst record in MLB for 2018 for you draftniks.
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Chris Stratton tries to keep his train rolling tomorrow evening against Gio Gonzalez.
Alen Hanson SS- 2 for 3, HR(8), SB(7). BA= .267. Projected to 600 PA, Alen Hanson's counting stats would be 35 2B, 11 3B, 18 HR, 15 SB, 75 R, 86 RBI. That's dynamic player! He's still just 25 yo he could be still a season or two from his peak.
Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 3.54. The only hits Derek Holland allowed in the game came in the first inning. Unfortunately one was a 2-run HR to Ryan Braun. Ironically, none of his 5 BB's figured in any of the scoring.
Holland is pitching for a contract and with each game, his payday is looking sweeter. This was his 3'rd QS in a row. He has a 2.50 ERA over his last 7 appearances and a 2.66 over his last 15. He leads the team in IP(152.2), K's(152) and Starts(27).
Hunter Strickland RHP- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K. ERA= 3.46. Strick is in a rough patch manifested by an ERA of 5.68 over is last 7 appearances and 5.54 over his last 15. Tonight, he walked 2 of 3 batters he faced and then Tony Watson, who is scuffling himself, allowed both runners to score on a double. Watson has an ERA of 9.00 in 6 IP over his last 7 appearances.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00. I did not realize that Okert had not appeared in a Giants game this season before his September call up. He actually had an interesting season for the Sacramento River Cats. His ERA of 4.55 was not impressive but he had 43 K's and just 8 BB's in 31.2 IP.
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The Giants maintain the 12'th worst record in MLB for 2018 for you draftniks.
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Chris Stratton tries to keep his train rolling tomorrow evening against Gio Gonzalez.
Down on the Farm: Sacramento River Cats 2018 Season Review
From a performance standpoint, the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants AAA affiliate, had a bad season. They finished dead last in the PCL Pacific Northern Division with a record of 55-85. The only PCL team with a worse W-L record was the Iowa Cubs at 50-88. While the River Cats had more than their share of disappointing performances, the true measure of a AAA team is how much it was able to help the affiliated MLB club. In their case, a string of injuries to Giants players forced a strip mining of the Sacramento roster and you know what? Those promoted players more than held their own at the MLB level and even gave promise of continuing to help in future seasons!
TEAM LEADERS: (Keep in mind that a AAA team is going to be a motley mixture of prospects, AAAA players and rehabbing veterans):
BA(200+ AB): 1. Cesar Puello- .313. 2. Chase d'Arnaud- .292. 3. Ryder Jones- .274.
HR: 1. Chris Shaw- 24. 2. Mac Williamson- 13. 3. Chase d'Arnaud- 12.
SB: 1. Chase d'Arnaud- 15. 2. Orlando Calixte- 14. 3. Steven Duggar- 11.
2B: 1. Steven Duggar- 27. 2. Austin Slater-24. 3. Ryder Jones- 22.
3B: Steven Duggar, Ryder Jones, Chase d'Arnaud, Peter Bourjos- 4.
Hits: 1. Ryder Jones- 121. Orlando Calixte- 108. Chris Shaw- 102.
Runs: 1. Ryder Jones- 57. 2. Chris Shaw- 55. 3. Chase d'Arnaud- 54.
RBI: 1. Chris Shaw- 65. 2. Ryder Jones- 59. 3. Orlando Calixte- 48.
IP: 1. Casey Kelly- 136. 2. Daniel Camarena- 79.2. 3. Tyler Beede- 74.
Games Started: 1. Casey Kelly- 24. 2. Daniel Camarena- 15. 3. Tyler Herb- 13.
Saves: 1. Dereck Law- 8. 2. Pierce Johnson- 4. 3. Tyler Rogers- 3.
SP ERA(50 IP threshold): 1. Dereck Rodriguez- 3.40. 2. Jordan Johnson- 4.66. 3. Casey Kelly- 4.76.
RP ERA(25 IP threshold: 1. Tyler Rogers- 2.13(67.2 IP). 2. Ray Black- 3.16. 3. Derek Law- 4.20.
Strikeouts: 1. Casey Kelly- 111. 2. Tyler Beede- 75. 3. Daniel Camarena- 64.
K/9(25 IP threshold): 1. Ray Black- 16.13. 2. Steven Okert- 12.22. 3. Jose Valdez- 10.58.
BB/9(25 IP threshold): 1. Dereck Rodriguez- 1.97. 2. Derek Law- 1.99. 3. Shaun Anderson- 2.09.
K/BB(25 IP, threshold): 1. Ray Black- 5.75. 2. Steven Okert- 5.38. 3. Dereck Rodriguez- 4.82.
Significant Contributors to MLB Giants: Mac Williamson(Promising start cut short by concussion), Alen Hanson, Austin Slater, Steven Duggar, Chase d'Arnaud, Dereck Rodriguez, Andrew Suarez, Ray Black.
To those who rail about how terrible and barren the Giants farm system is, I ask one question: How did such a terrible farm system produce all those players who made significant contributions at the MLB level in one season?
Significant Promotions from Lower Levels: Aramis Garcia, Tyler Herb, Shaun Anderson.
Looking Ahead to 2019: Aramis Garcia, Tyler Herb, Shaun Anderson, Logan Webb, Ryan Howard, CJ Hinojosa, Abiatal Avelino, Luigi Rodriguez?, Chase Johnson?, Ryan Halstead?, Dillon McNamara?, Patrick Ruotolo?, Ian Gardeck?, Dylan Davis? Jacob Heyward?
Burning Question: What happened to Tyler Beede and can he rise from the ashes of this terrible season?
TEAM LEADERS: (Keep in mind that a AAA team is going to be a motley mixture of prospects, AAAA players and rehabbing veterans):
BA(200+ AB): 1. Cesar Puello- .313. 2. Chase d'Arnaud- .292. 3. Ryder Jones- .274.
HR: 1. Chris Shaw- 24. 2. Mac Williamson- 13. 3. Chase d'Arnaud- 12.
SB: 1. Chase d'Arnaud- 15. 2. Orlando Calixte- 14. 3. Steven Duggar- 11.
2B: 1. Steven Duggar- 27. 2. Austin Slater-24. 3. Ryder Jones- 22.
3B: Steven Duggar, Ryder Jones, Chase d'Arnaud, Peter Bourjos- 4.
Hits: 1. Ryder Jones- 121. Orlando Calixte- 108. Chris Shaw- 102.
Runs: 1. Ryder Jones- 57. 2. Chris Shaw- 55. 3. Chase d'Arnaud- 54.
RBI: 1. Chris Shaw- 65. 2. Ryder Jones- 59. 3. Orlando Calixte- 48.
IP: 1. Casey Kelly- 136. 2. Daniel Camarena- 79.2. 3. Tyler Beede- 74.
Games Started: 1. Casey Kelly- 24. 2. Daniel Camarena- 15. 3. Tyler Herb- 13.
Saves: 1. Dereck Law- 8. 2. Pierce Johnson- 4. 3. Tyler Rogers- 3.
SP ERA(50 IP threshold): 1. Dereck Rodriguez- 3.40. 2. Jordan Johnson- 4.66. 3. Casey Kelly- 4.76.
RP ERA(25 IP threshold: 1. Tyler Rogers- 2.13(67.2 IP). 2. Ray Black- 3.16. 3. Derek Law- 4.20.
Strikeouts: 1. Casey Kelly- 111. 2. Tyler Beede- 75. 3. Daniel Camarena- 64.
K/9(25 IP threshold): 1. Ray Black- 16.13. 2. Steven Okert- 12.22. 3. Jose Valdez- 10.58.
BB/9(25 IP threshold): 1. Dereck Rodriguez- 1.97. 2. Derek Law- 1.99. 3. Shaun Anderson- 2.09.
K/BB(25 IP, threshold): 1. Ray Black- 5.75. 2. Steven Okert- 5.38. 3. Dereck Rodriguez- 4.82.
Significant Contributors to MLB Giants: Mac Williamson(Promising start cut short by concussion), Alen Hanson, Austin Slater, Steven Duggar, Chase d'Arnaud, Dereck Rodriguez, Andrew Suarez, Ray Black.
To those who rail about how terrible and barren the Giants farm system is, I ask one question: How did such a terrible farm system produce all those players who made significant contributions at the MLB level in one season?
Significant Promotions from Lower Levels: Aramis Garcia, Tyler Herb, Shaun Anderson.
Looking Ahead to 2019: Aramis Garcia, Tyler Herb, Shaun Anderson, Logan Webb, Ryan Howard, CJ Hinojosa, Abiatal Avelino, Luigi Rodriguez?, Chase Johnson?, Ryan Halstead?, Dillon McNamara?, Patrick Ruotolo?, Ian Gardeck?, Dylan Davis? Jacob Heyward?
Burning Question: What happened to Tyler Beede and can he rise from the ashes of this terrible season?
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Game Wrap 9/5/2018: Rockies 5 Giants 3
I have to confess, between a meeting at work that ran late and being preoccupied by the political news of the day I didn't watch any of this game. For a pitcher who relies heavily on a curveball, Andrew Suarez pitched about as well as I would expect in Coors Field. Actually he pitched better than I expected except to Trevor Story who has quietly become the Rockies cleanup hitter and who hit his 3'rd, 4'th and 5'th dingers of the series, all solo shots, which was the difference in the ballgame. Key Lines:
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .247. Joe Panik needs a strong finish to the season. He was 4 for 9 in the last 2 games of this series.
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .244. Longoria has been remarkably consistent, which is not really a good thing: 3 for 11 in this series, .240 over his last 7 games, .232 over his last 15 and .233 over his last 30.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 3, HR(2). BA= .500. Looks like Garcia will be Andrew Suarez' catcher? He hits his 2'nd dinger in 3 games, 8 AB. His minor league record suggests the power is real but the BA will come down to earth, or lower.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.33. Take Trevor Story out of the equation and the line is 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Between Madison Bumgarner and Andrew Suarez, Story hit 5 HR's agains the Giants 2 LH starters for the series. Yep, he's slashing .340/.402/.723 against LHP's and .280/.333/.499, which is still pretty good, against RHP's.
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The Loss put the Giants in 12'th place in the draft choice derby. They are 10 games off the pace in the NL West and 10.5 games behind in the Wild Card race to officially, at least in my book, eliminate them from playoff contention.
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The Giants get a travel day on the way to Milwaukee where Chris Stratton will open the weekend series against Gio Gonzalez. Gio Gonzalez?
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .247. Joe Panik needs a strong finish to the season. He was 4 for 9 in the last 2 games of this series.
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .244. Longoria has been remarkably consistent, which is not really a good thing: 3 for 11 in this series, .240 over his last 7 games, .232 over his last 15 and .233 over his last 30.
Aramis Garcia C- 1 for 3, HR(2). BA= .500. Looks like Garcia will be Andrew Suarez' catcher? He hits his 2'nd dinger in 3 games, 8 AB. His minor league record suggests the power is real but the BA will come down to earth, or lower.
Andrew Suarez LHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 4.33. Take Trevor Story out of the equation and the line is 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Between Madison Bumgarner and Andrew Suarez, Story hit 5 HR's agains the Giants 2 LH starters for the series. Yep, he's slashing .340/.402/.723 against LHP's and .280/.333/.499, which is still pretty good, against RHP's.
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The Loss put the Giants in 12'th place in the draft choice derby. They are 10 games off the pace in the NL West and 10.5 games behind in the Wild Card race to officially, at least in my book, eliminate them from playoff contention.
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The Giants get a travel day on the way to Milwaukee where Chris Stratton will open the weekend series against Gio Gonzalez. Gio Gonzalez?
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Game Wrap 9/4/2018: Rockies 6 Giants 2
The bullpen gave up a 5-spot in the 7'th inning to spoil a QS by Young Dereck Rodriguez. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco RF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(4). BA= .237. Tough season for Gregor Blanco. He got the start against the RHP and to give Austin Slater a breather, I guess. White Shark led off the first inning with a single, stole 2B and came home on Joe Panik's single for the first Giants run. Blanco probably should not be in the Giants plans for next season.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4. BA= .245. Also a rough season for Joe Panik. He's just 5 for 26(.192) over his last 7 games including the 2 hits in this game. His D has also slipped to replacement level over the last 2 seasons. He has 1 year of arbitration eligibility left and made $3.4 m this season. Do the Giants keep him at least 1 more season or trade/non-tender him? They do have other less expensive options at 2B.
Gorky Hernandez CF- 1 for 4, HR(15). BA= .246. Gorkys hit a go-ahead dinger in the top of the 7'th to let Dereck Rodriguez leave the game with the lead. The dinger tied Gorkys with Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria for the team lead. Gorkys is probably a keeper for next year, but only in a 4'th or 5'th OF role.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.41. DRod was coming off a less than Quality Start so expectations for this start in Coors Field might not have been so high. He pitched like it was AT&T Park keeping Rockies hitters off balance by spotting the FB and a nice changeup. 12'th QS out of 15 on the season. He's at 147.1 IP between AAA and MLB this season. Last year he threw 143 IP, so he has a way to go before reaching the red zone on ramping up his IP.
Reyes Moronta RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.66. Moronta has not been overworked as his last 2 games were 8/29 and 9/1. He pitched scoreless innings in both those games with 4 K's and 0 BB's. He looked a bit gassed in this game wildly overthrowing. We'll chalk it up to one of those games and Coors Field.
Casey Kelly RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.04. I'd like to see Casey Kelly get a few Starts this month just to get a better look at what's there.
German Marquez RHP(Rockies)- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 4.05. How is this guy not competing for the Cy Young Award? Coors Field, I guess? He was throwing 98 MPH cheese and hitting the lines around the framed strike zone on the TV with bulls eyes pitch after pitch. Jeremy Affeldt commented on it. Kuip said we're seeing more and more of these pitchers in the league and mentioned Luis Castillo of the Reds. What he didn't mention was the Castillo is a former Giants farmhand who was traded to the Marlins in the unfortunate Casey McGehee trade. Oh! In his last 3 Starts, Marquez has allowed 4 ER in 21.2 IP with 4 BB's and 33 K's.
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The loss left the Giants at 68-72 and the 13'th worst record in MLB for those keeping track of draft position.
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Andrew Suarez tries to salvage a Win out of the series facing Antonio Sensatela.
Gregor Blanco RF- 1 for 3, BB, SB(4). BA= .237. Tough season for Gregor Blanco. He got the start against the RHP and to give Austin Slater a breather, I guess. White Shark led off the first inning with a single, stole 2B and came home on Joe Panik's single for the first Giants run. Blanco probably should not be in the Giants plans for next season.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4. BA= .245. Also a rough season for Joe Panik. He's just 5 for 26(.192) over his last 7 games including the 2 hits in this game. His D has also slipped to replacement level over the last 2 seasons. He has 1 year of arbitration eligibility left and made $3.4 m this season. Do the Giants keep him at least 1 more season or trade/non-tender him? They do have other less expensive options at 2B.
Gorky Hernandez CF- 1 for 4, HR(15). BA= .246. Gorkys hit a go-ahead dinger in the top of the 7'th to let Dereck Rodriguez leave the game with the lead. The dinger tied Gorkys with Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria for the team lead. Gorkys is probably a keeper for next year, but only in a 4'th or 5'th OF role.
Dereck Rodriguez RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 2.41. DRod was coming off a less than Quality Start so expectations for this start in Coors Field might not have been so high. He pitched like it was AT&T Park keeping Rockies hitters off balance by spotting the FB and a nice changeup. 12'th QS out of 15 on the season. He's at 147.1 IP between AAA and MLB this season. Last year he threw 143 IP, so he has a way to go before reaching the red zone on ramping up his IP.
Reyes Moronta RHP- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.66. Moronta has not been overworked as his last 2 games were 8/29 and 9/1. He pitched scoreless innings in both those games with 4 K's and 0 BB's. He looked a bit gassed in this game wildly overthrowing. We'll chalk it up to one of those games and Coors Field.
Casey Kelly RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.04. I'd like to see Casey Kelly get a few Starts this month just to get a better look at what's there.
German Marquez RHP(Rockies)- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 K's. ERA= 4.05. How is this guy not competing for the Cy Young Award? Coors Field, I guess? He was throwing 98 MPH cheese and hitting the lines around the framed strike zone on the TV with bulls eyes pitch after pitch. Jeremy Affeldt commented on it. Kuip said we're seeing more and more of these pitchers in the league and mentioned Luis Castillo of the Reds. What he didn't mention was the Castillo is a former Giants farmhand who was traded to the Marlins in the unfortunate Casey McGehee trade. Oh! In his last 3 Starts, Marquez has allowed 4 ER in 21.2 IP with 4 BB's and 33 K's.
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The loss left the Giants at 68-72 and the 13'th worst record in MLB for those keeping track of draft position.
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Andrew Suarez tries to salvage a Win out of the series facing Antonio Sensatela.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Down on the Farm: 9/3/2018
AAA Las Vegas 51's came from behind to beat the Sacramento River Cats 4-3:
Peter Bourjos CF- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .296.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .400.
Tyler Herb RHP- 2 for 2. BA= .231.
Tyler Herb RHP- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 5.35.
Peter Bourjos pop is one of a handful of former Giants whose first MLB HR came while pinch-hitting. Jacob Heyward gets the promotion for 1 game and makes the most of it. One of the minor league coaches singled him out recently as an example of a hitting prospect who has made great strides this season.
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AA Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-3:
CJ Hinojosa SS- 3 for 4. BA= .261.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 4, HR(4). BA= .255.
Conner Menez LHP- 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 4.38.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.72.
IDK how many pitches he threw but Conner Menez left the game before completing the first batter's PA. According to the Game Log, he had an injured ankle. It's on to the AFL for CJ Hinojosa.
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A+ San Jose Giants blanked the Modesto Nuts 2-0:
Johneshwy Fargas LF- 1 for 3, HR(8). BA= .288.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 1 for 3, HR(10). BA= .211.
Carlos Sano RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.81.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2). ERA= 4.19.
Brandon Van Horn showed surprising power this season but could not sustain a competitive BA. Johneshwy Fargas had a strong finish to his season hitting .290 in July, .322 in August and .400 in 3 games in Sept. Carlos Sano is a bit of an oddball in that he is an international FA seeing his first affiliated pro experience at age 25. He looks like a keeper, though.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets smothered the Columbia Fireflies 3-2:
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4, HR(8). BA= .243.
Shane Matheny 3B- 1 for 3, HR(6). BA= .205.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 3.45.
JJ Santa Cruz LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.16.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(11). ERA= 3.06.
Disappointing seasons for Orlando Garcia and Shane Matheny who both started out hot in April. Garcia probably did well enough to hang around another year either in Augusta or San Jose. I'd say Matheny is on the bubble. Camilo Doval recovered from a disastrous start to the season in April to lead the GJ's in Saves by 1 over Frank Rubio who was promoted earlier in the season.
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Short Season Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-4:
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4. BA= .243.
Wander Franco The Younger 3B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .314.
Dalton Combs RF- 2 for 4, HR(5). BA= .314.
Gregory Santos RHP- 5 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 4.53.
Ricardo Genoves finished strong with a .317 BA in August and .364 in 3 games in Sept. Wander The Younger hit .355 in the second half. Dalton Combs hit .361 in the second half. Great to see Gregory Santos apparently healthy and pitching after his near-death experience with a batted ball.
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I am not sure if there are any make-up games still to be played but this wraps up the minor league regular season. None of the Giants affiliates made the postseason, so unless there is a make-up game, this ends the daily Down on the Farm updates for this year. I will probably take a few days off from the 2-posts per day grind. I'll try to post some season reviews for each minor league affiliate between now and the end of the MLB season.
Peter Bourjos CF- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .296.
Jacob Heyward LF- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .400.
Tyler Herb RHP- 2 for 2. BA= .231.
Tyler Herb RHP- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 5.35.
Peter Bourjos pop is one of a handful of former Giants whose first MLB HR came while pinch-hitting. Jacob Heyward gets the promotion for 1 game and makes the most of it. One of the minor league coaches singled him out recently as an example of a hitting prospect who has made great strides this season.
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AA Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-3:
CJ Hinojosa SS- 3 for 4. BA= .261.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 4, HR(4). BA= .255.
Conner Menez LHP- 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 4.38.
Ryan Halstead RHP- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.72.
IDK how many pitches he threw but Conner Menez left the game before completing the first batter's PA. According to the Game Log, he had an injured ankle. It's on to the AFL for CJ Hinojosa.
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A+ San Jose Giants blanked the Modesto Nuts 2-0:
Johneshwy Fargas LF- 1 for 3, HR(8). BA= .288.
Brandon Van Horn SS- 1 for 3, HR(10). BA= .211.
Carlos Sano RHP- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.81.
Peter Lannoo RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(2). ERA= 4.19.
Brandon Van Horn showed surprising power this season but could not sustain a competitive BA. Johneshwy Fargas had a strong finish to his season hitting .290 in July, .322 in August and .400 in 3 games in Sept. Carlos Sano is a bit of an oddball in that he is an international FA seeing his first affiliated pro experience at age 25. He looks like a keeper, though.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets smothered the Columbia Fireflies 3-2:
Orlando Garcia 2B- 2 for 4, HR(8). BA= .243.
Shane Matheny 3B- 1 for 3, HR(6). BA= .205.
Norwith Gudino RHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 10 K's. ERA= 3.45.
JJ Santa Cruz LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.16.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, Save(11). ERA= 3.06.
Disappointing seasons for Orlando Garcia and Shane Matheny who both started out hot in April. Garcia probably did well enough to hang around another year either in Augusta or San Jose. I'd say Matheny is on the bubble. Camilo Doval recovered from a disastrous start to the season in April to lead the GJ's in Saves by 1 over Frank Rubio who was promoted earlier in the season.
*********************************************************************************
Short Season Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 5-4:
Ricardo Genoves C- 2 for 4. BA= .243.
Wander Franco The Younger 3B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .314.
Dalton Combs RF- 2 for 4, HR(5). BA= .314.
Gregory Santos RHP- 5 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 4.53.
Ricardo Genoves finished strong with a .317 BA in August and .364 in 3 games in Sept. Wander The Younger hit .355 in the second half. Dalton Combs hit .361 in the second half. Great to see Gregory Santos apparently healthy and pitching after his near-death experience with a batted ball.
*********************************************************************************
I am not sure if there are any make-up games still to be played but this wraps up the minor league regular season. None of the Giants affiliates made the postseason, so unless there is a make-up game, this ends the daily Down on the Farm updates for this year. I will probably take a few days off from the 2-posts per day grind. I'll try to post some season reviews for each minor league affiliate between now and the end of the MLB season.
Game Wrap 9/3/2018: Rockies 9 Giants 8
What a difference a ballpark makes....or not! The Giants and Rockies played a Coors Field Special with the Giants clawing back from a 7-2 deficit to take an 8-7 lead in the 8'th inning only to give up 2 more runs to the Rockies in the bottom of the inning to end up with another loss. Key Lines:
Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 4, 3B, SF. BA- .244. Longoria drove in the Giants 2'nd run with a SF then hit a 2-out, 2-run triple in the 7'th to get the Giants within 2 at 7-5.
Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 3, HR(14), HBP. BA= 246. Gorkys created the Giants first run with a solo HR to LF, then started the 8'th inning really when he got hit on the left hand with a pitch which appeared to cause him a great deal of pain. He then scored ahead of Alen Hanson's 2-run PH rocket into the RF bleachers to tie the game at 7. We'll hope Gorkys' hand is OK so he can finish out the best season of his career.
Alen Hanson 2B- 1 for 1, HR(7). BA= .264. Hanson PH for Kelby Tomlinson against the RHP Seung-Hwan Oh and drilled the game tying HR into the bleachers in RF. Hanson's overall numbers have been dropping as he was hitting just .133 in his last 7 games coming in and .176 over his last 15, but he can still win games for you in other ways and his bat sure came to life in this AB.
Chris Shaw PH- 1 for 1, HR(1). BA= .143. Chris Shaw had a rough game Sunday in front of his extended family. His mom and GF followed him to Coors Field and he made the trip worth it with a monster shot into the R-CF bleachers, 463 ft away from Home Plate. I think Kuip said that was the longest HR by a Giant this season. Swing was short, compact and quick to the ball. Hopefully this is just one of many in a long career for Chris. The dinger briefly gave the Giants an 8-7 lead, but Coors Field.....
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.07. We'll chalk this one up to Coors Field, the bad mojo that goes with it and Trevor Story. Bummy gave up the first 4 runs before he recorded an out in the first inning with Trevor Story driving in the last 2 with a long tater to LF. Then, in the 5'th, Bummy got a perfect GIDP grounder out of Nolan Arenado which should have gotten him out of the inning. That's when the mojo struck and the 2B ump blocked Kelby Tomlinson's view of the ball and it skipped right past him for a single to put runners on 1'st and 3'rd for, you guessed it, Trevor Story to hit a 3-run jack and make it 7-2.
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Young Dereck Rodriguez sees if he has better luck in Coors Field that other pitchers tomorrow night facing German Marquez.
Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 4, 3B, SF. BA- .244. Longoria drove in the Giants 2'nd run with a SF then hit a 2-out, 2-run triple in the 7'th to get the Giants within 2 at 7-5.
Gorkys Hernandez CF- 1 for 3, HR(14), HBP. BA= 246. Gorkys created the Giants first run with a solo HR to LF, then started the 8'th inning really when he got hit on the left hand with a pitch which appeared to cause him a great deal of pain. He then scored ahead of Alen Hanson's 2-run PH rocket into the RF bleachers to tie the game at 7. We'll hope Gorkys' hand is OK so he can finish out the best season of his career.
Alen Hanson 2B- 1 for 1, HR(7). BA= .264. Hanson PH for Kelby Tomlinson against the RHP Seung-Hwan Oh and drilled the game tying HR into the bleachers in RF. Hanson's overall numbers have been dropping as he was hitting just .133 in his last 7 games coming in and .176 over his last 15, but he can still win games for you in other ways and his bat sure came to life in this AB.
Chris Shaw PH- 1 for 1, HR(1). BA= .143. Chris Shaw had a rough game Sunday in front of his extended family. His mom and GF followed him to Coors Field and he made the trip worth it with a monster shot into the R-CF bleachers, 463 ft away from Home Plate. I think Kuip said that was the longest HR by a Giant this season. Swing was short, compact and quick to the ball. Hopefully this is just one of many in a long career for Chris. The dinger briefly gave the Giants an 8-7 lead, but Coors Field.....
Madison Bumgarner LHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 3.07. We'll chalk this one up to Coors Field, the bad mojo that goes with it and Trevor Story. Bummy gave up the first 4 runs before he recorded an out in the first inning with Trevor Story driving in the last 2 with a long tater to LF. Then, in the 5'th, Bummy got a perfect GIDP grounder out of Nolan Arenado which should have gotten him out of the inning. That's when the mojo struck and the 2B ump blocked Kelby Tomlinson's view of the ball and it skipped right past him for a single to put runners on 1'st and 3'rd for, you guessed it, Trevor Story to hit a 3-run jack and make it 7-2.
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Young Dereck Rodriguez sees if he has better luck in Coors Field that other pitchers tomorrow night facing German Marquez.
Down on the Farm: 9/2/2018
AAA Las Vegas 51's stopped the Sacramento River Cats 5-3:
Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .278.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(11). BA= .274.
Brock Stassi 1B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .393.
Ronnie Freeman C- 3 for 4. BA= .264.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 4.66.
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AA Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-4(Completion of Suspended Game from 9/1):
Ryan Howard 2B- 2 for 5. BA= .272.
Luigi Rodriguez RF- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .271.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 3, HR(3). BA= .168.
Chase Johnson RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.86.
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AA Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1(Regularly scheduled game, 7 innings):
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 3, 3B. BA= .274.
Logan Webb RHP- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.82.
Dan Slania RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.43.
Logan Webb finishes an otherwise fine season on a downer note which probably has no bearing on his future.
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A+ Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 7-0:
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4. BA= .276.
John Russell RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.68.
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Low A Columbia Fireflies blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 1-0:
Juan De Paula RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 1.80.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 4.03.
Nice Giants organizational debut fo Juan De Paula, likely the real prize from the Andrew McCutchen trade. Both teams mustered just 2 hits but one of the Fireflies hits was a solo dinger, the difference in the game.
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Short Season Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 9-7:
Kyle McPherson 2B- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .314.
Joey Bart C- 2 for 4, HR(13), HBP. BA= .298.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(13). BA= .279.
Wander Franco the Younger 1B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(5). BA= .311.
Aaron Bond CF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(14). BA= .268.
Sean Hjelle RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.06.
5 of Aaron Bond's 7 hits over his last 7 games were dingers. He now has the team lead in dingers by 1 over Joey Bart and David Villar. Wander the Younger is hitting .450 over his last 10 games. He hit .303 in July and is hitting .322 in August after hitting just .220 in June.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 3 for 4, 2 2B. BA= .278.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(11). BA= .274.
Brock Stassi 1B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .393.
Ronnie Freeman C- 3 for 4. BA= .264.
Jordan Johnson RHP- 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 4.66.
*********************************************************************************
AA Harrisburg Senators defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-4(Completion of Suspended Game from 9/1):
Ryan Howard 2B- 2 for 5. BA= .272.
Luigi Rodriguez RF- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .271.
Ronnie Jebavy CF- 1 for 3, HR(3). BA= .168.
Chase Johnson RHP- 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.86.
*********************************************************************************
AA Harrisburg Senators downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels 6-1(Regularly scheduled game, 7 innings):
Ryan Howard SS- 2 for 3, 3B. BA= .274.
Logan Webb RHP- 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.82.
Dan Slania RHP- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.43.
Logan Webb finishes an otherwise fine season on a downer note which probably has no bearing on his future.
*********************************************************************************
A+ Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 7-0:
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 4. BA= .276.
John Russell RHP- 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Sam Coonrod RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.68.
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Low A Columbia Fireflies blanked the Augusta Greenjackets 1-0:
Juan De Paula RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K's. ERA= 1.80.
Caleb Baragar LHP- 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 4.03.
Nice Giants organizational debut fo Juan De Paula, likely the real prize from the Andrew McCutchen trade. Both teams mustered just 2 hits but one of the Fireflies hits was a solo dinger, the difference in the game.
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Short Season Hillsboro Hops topped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 9-7:
Kyle McPherson 2B- 3 for 5, 2B. BA= .314.
Joey Bart C- 2 for 4, HR(13), HBP. BA= .298.
David Villar 3B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(13). BA= .279.
Wander Franco the Younger 1B- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(5). BA= .311.
Aaron Bond CF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(14). BA= .268.
Sean Hjelle RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.06.
5 of Aaron Bond's 7 hits over his last 7 games were dingers. He now has the team lead in dingers by 1 over Joey Bart and David Villar. Wander the Younger is hitting .450 over his last 10 games. He hit .303 in July and is hitting .322 in August after hitting just .220 in June.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Game Wrap 9/2/2018: Mets 4 Giants 1
The Giants offense mustered just 3 baserunners off Thor on a gorgeous day at AT&T Park to spoil a Quality Start by Chris Stratton. Key Lines:
Alen Hanson SS- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .261. Hanson tripled to RF in the 3'rd inning and scored on a Sac Fly by none other than Chris Stratton for the Giants only run of the game and only hint of a rally. On top of that, Hanson flashed some serious leather at SS snagging one hot shot after anther and throwing out 6 runners at 1B with the help of some terrific scooping by Brandon Belt on the day. Well, one would have been safe if the Mets had challenged the play, but they didn't so there. Hanson was playing SS for the 3'rd consecutive game due to Brandon Crawford resting a sore knee.
Chris Stratton, RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 11/3. ERA= 4.90. When Stratton gave up a double and a dinger back-to-back in the 2'nd inning, it looked like he was going to turn back into a pumpkin. He kept pounding the zone with a 2-seam sinker and the BABIP gods, aka Alen Hanson and Brandon Belt, were on his side over the next 4 innings to allow him to finish with a QS, his 3'rd in a row. He's turned in a total of 11 QS out of 22 this season.
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The Giants go on the road to Colorado and Milwaukee with Madison Bumgarner starting off the series tomorrow afternoon in Coors Field facing Tyler Anderson.
Alen Hanson SS- 1 for 3, 3B. BA= .261. Hanson tripled to RF in the 3'rd inning and scored on a Sac Fly by none other than Chris Stratton for the Giants only run of the game and only hint of a rally. On top of that, Hanson flashed some serious leather at SS snagging one hot shot after anther and throwing out 6 runners at 1B with the help of some terrific scooping by Brandon Belt on the day. Well, one would have been safe if the Mets had challenged the play, but they didn't so there. Hanson was playing SS for the 3'rd consecutive game due to Brandon Crawford resting a sore knee.
Chris Stratton, RHP- 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 11/3. ERA= 4.90. When Stratton gave up a double and a dinger back-to-back in the 2'nd inning, it looked like he was going to turn back into a pumpkin. He kept pounding the zone with a 2-seam sinker and the BABIP gods, aka Alen Hanson and Brandon Belt, were on his side over the next 4 innings to allow him to finish with a QS, his 3'rd in a row. He's turned in a total of 11 QS out of 22 this season.
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The Giants go on the road to Colorado and Milwaukee with Madison Bumgarner starting off the series tomorrow afternoon in Coors Field facing Tyler Anderson.
Down on the Farm: 9/1/2018
AAA Sacramento River Cats defeated the Las Vegas 51's 7-3:
Miguel Gomez 2B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .269.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .272.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 5, 2 SB(2). BA= .400.
Brock Stassi 1B- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .386.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.13.
Manny Parra LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.28.
Tyler Beede RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.81.
Abiatal Avelino has a successful debut in the Giants organization immediately showing off his speed with 2 SB's.
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Harrisburg Senators Suspended after 2 innings due to rain.
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A+ San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 9-8:
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(14). BA= .274.
Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 4, BB, SB(14). BA= .300.
Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5, 3B. BA= .252.
Kelvin Beltre 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .245.
Johneshwy Fargas RF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR(7). BA= .289.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets stung the Columbia Fireflies 8-3:
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .254.
Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 3, Sac. BA= .240.
Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 3, HR(11), HBP. BA= .249.
Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 4. BA= .204.
Garrett Cave RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 5.20.
Olbis Parra RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.24.
Helio Ramos again flirting with .250. He has 2 more games to get there and stay there. The ceiling is there for Garrett Cave if he can find some consistency.
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Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outlasted the Hillsboro Hops 3-1(11 Innings):
Kyle McPherson 2B- 2 for 6. BA= .309.
Diego Rincones LF- 3 for 6, 2B. BA= .320.
Wander Franco The Younger DH- 3 for 5. BA= .302.
Dalton Combs RF/1B- 2 for 4, SB(1), HBP. BA= .322.
Jake Wong RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.30.
Alex Dubord RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 10.32.
Jesus Tona RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.87.
Matt Frisbee RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.96.
Miguel Gomez 2B- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .269.
Ryder Jones 3B- 2 for 4, BB. BA= .272.
Abiatal Avelino SS- 2 for 5, 2 SB(2). BA= .400.
Brock Stassi 1B- 2 for 4, 2 2B, BB. BA= .386.
Tyler Rogers RHP- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.13.
Manny Parra LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.28.
Tyler Beede RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 6.81.
Abiatal Avelino has a successful debut in the Giants organization immediately showing off his speed with 2 SB's.
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AA Richmond Flying Squirrels vs Harrisburg Senators Suspended after 2 innings due to rain.
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A+ San Jose Giants outscored the Modesto Nuts 9-8:
Jalen Miller 2B- 2 for 5, 2B, HR(14). BA= .274.
Heath Quinn DH- 2 for 4, BB, SB(14). BA= .300.
Bryce Johnson CF- 2 for 5, 3B. BA= .252.
Kelvin Beltre 3B- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .245.
Johneshwy Fargas RF- 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR(7). BA= .289.
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Low A Augusta Greenjackets stung the Columbia Fireflies 8-3:
Logan Baldwin RF- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .254.
Ismael Munguia LF- 2 for 3, Sac. BA= .240.
Heliot Ramos CF- 2 for 3, HR(11), HBP. BA= .249.
Shane Matheny 3B- 2 for 4. BA= .204.
Garrett Cave RHP- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 5.20.
Olbis Parra RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 2.24.
Helio Ramos again flirting with .250. He has 2 more games to get there and stay there. The ceiling is there for Garrett Cave if he can find some consistency.
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Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes outlasted the Hillsboro Hops 3-1(11 Innings):
Kyle McPherson 2B- 2 for 6. BA= .309.
Diego Rincones LF- 3 for 6, 2B. BA= .320.
Wander Franco The Younger DH- 3 for 5. BA= .302.
Dalton Combs RF/1B- 2 for 4, SB(1), HBP. BA= .322.
Jake Wong RHP- 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 2.30.
Alex Dubord RHP- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 10.32.
Jesus Tona RHP- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.87.
Matt Frisbee RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.96.
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Game Wrap 9/1/2018: Mets 2 Giants 1(11 Innings)
This game had familiar storyline as the offense failed to take advantage of a terrific pitching performance by Derek Holland and the bullpen. Key Lines:
Austin Slater RF- 2 for 5. BA= .282. Slater had 2 of the Giants 3 hits. He was batting 2'nd in the lineup, ahead of Evan Longoria. Unfortunately neither of his hits came before Longo's dinger. Slater's OF struggles continued as he got a late jump on an RBI double by Tomas Nido which drove in the tying run in the 5'th that eventually allowed the Mets to take the game into extra innings and ultimately win. It was not an easy ball to catch by any stretch, but I would say Gregor Blanco in his prime would have almost certainly gotten to it.
Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 4, HR(15). BA= .244. Despite the dinger, Longo is hitting just .160 over his last 7 games and .186 over his last 15. The dinger was the Giants lone run in the game. Longo and Austin Slater combined for all 3 of the Giants hits over 11 innings. The Giants only added 2 BB's to that total.
Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.56. This was Holland's 2'nd QS start in a row. He has 9 on the season out of 26 Starts, which doesn't seem so good, but he has 8 other Starts in which he went at least 5 IP while allowing 3 runs or less which kept the Giants in a lot of those games. Giants are 14-12 in Holland's Starts but 4 of those losses occurred in his first 4 Starts of the season which makes them 14-8 in his Starts since April 21.
Bullpen- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. Will Smith and Reyes Moronta did not allow a hit and each struck out 2 batters in their 1-inning stints. Hunter Strickland's big mistake was allowing a leadoff double to Wilmer Flores in the 11'th. He advanced to 3B on a groundout and scored on Todd Frazier's SF.
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The Dodgers beat the D'Backs to move into a tie for the NL West lead, 6.5 games ahead of the Giants. The Rockies topped the Padres and trail the co-leaders by 0.5 games.
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Chris Stratton tries to keep his good vibes going as well as trying for a series win facing Thor who hasn't been quite Thor-like this season.
Austin Slater RF- 2 for 5. BA= .282. Slater had 2 of the Giants 3 hits. He was batting 2'nd in the lineup, ahead of Evan Longoria. Unfortunately neither of his hits came before Longo's dinger. Slater's OF struggles continued as he got a late jump on an RBI double by Tomas Nido which drove in the tying run in the 5'th that eventually allowed the Mets to take the game into extra innings and ultimately win. It was not an easy ball to catch by any stretch, but I would say Gregor Blanco in his prime would have almost certainly gotten to it.
Evan Longoria 3B- 1 for 4, HR(15). BA= .244. Despite the dinger, Longo is hitting just .160 over his last 7 games and .186 over his last 15. The dinger was the Giants lone run in the game. Longo and Austin Slater combined for all 3 of the Giants hits over 11 innings. The Giants only added 2 BB's to that total.
Derek Holland LHP- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 3.56. This was Holland's 2'nd QS start in a row. He has 9 on the season out of 26 Starts, which doesn't seem so good, but he has 8 other Starts in which he went at least 5 IP while allowing 3 runs or less which kept the Giants in a lot of those games. Giants are 14-12 in Holland's Starts but 4 of those losses occurred in his first 4 Starts of the season which makes them 14-8 in his Starts since April 21.
Bullpen- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's. Will Smith and Reyes Moronta did not allow a hit and each struck out 2 batters in their 1-inning stints. Hunter Strickland's big mistake was allowing a leadoff double to Wilmer Flores in the 11'th. He advanced to 3B on a groundout and scored on Todd Frazier's SF.
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The Dodgers beat the D'Backs to move into a tie for the NL West lead, 6.5 games ahead of the Giants. The Rockies topped the Padres and trail the co-leaders by 0.5 games.
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Chris Stratton tries to keep his good vibes going as well as trying for a series win facing Thor who hasn't been quite Thor-like this season.
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